Exploratory
by Serena Aris
Summary: Paris, Seven and Kim go missing in action during a routine mission. On a hostile planet and days away from Voyager can they survive on their own? CHAPTER 13
1. Default Chapter

**Exploratory. **

By

Serena Aris.

Disclaimers: Paramount and other big organisations own Star Trek: Voyager, the ship, its crew and the whole trek universe. I'm just borrowing some of it for a short amount of time.

/\ /\ /\

**Exploratory.**

By

Serena Aris.

**Chapter One.**

It was in free-fall. The _Delta Flyer_ was dropping like a stone. Nose-end first like a dart. The crew of the shuttle fought desperately for control in the little time left. The counting down of time before it hit the ground. It smashed through some thin porous clouds scattering fluffy debris in its wake.

Inside the shell of the shuttle was bathed in crimson light. Consoles flashed erratically accompanied by sparks. Panels burst, bleeding out cables and fumes. The only areas that seemed to have any power, the rest of the ship was dead. Fighting against the extreme g forces Tom Paris dragged his tall form toward his helm console. "I need engines back online NOW!" He yelled over the wailing alarms and klaxons that surprisingly still worked.

"The engineering command functions aren't responding!" Answered Harry Kim who was furiously prodding at various controls. A bulkhead overhead spat and sparked like the tail end of a rocket, making him duck for cover.

The ship hit some turbulence in the stratosphere and was flung into a flat spin. The hull groaned and strained, sending tremors throughout the shuttle, knocking the three crewmembers off of their seats. Added with the atmospheric pressure it didn't make their descent any smoother.

Scaling up from the floor using her chair to reach her console Seven of Nine was reassured to see Lieutenant Paris already in his seat and Ensign Kim attempting to do the same. Bracing herself with one arm against her station and tapping in commands with the other, she was forced to ignore errant tendrils of blonde hair, which had escaped their scraped back styling. She informed her colleagues "I am transferring all available power to the engines, including life support."

We won't need it if we smash to pieces anyway, thought the pilot's cynical side as the engines faintly hummed to life. "Acknowledged, Seven." He shouted out loud but the ship's rocking made it come out as a warble. The engines didn't have enough power to get them back into space but it gave them a better chance of some sort of landing on the planet below. A chance Paris was going to take. Hitting the thrusters, he broke out of the stomach churning spin, sending him hurtling in the opposite direction with the abrupt stop. It had stopped them from spinning but had damaged one of the engines.

A mountain range with plenty of oxygen loving, green, vegetation could now be seen through the windows. "Ten seconds to impact!" Called out Paris to prepare his friends as much as distract himself. He was fighting against unconsciousness as his vision dimmed with the downward pressure and his blood being pushed down his body away from his head. Then the remaining engine flickered on and offline.

Nine seconds remaining. Kim thought about his family at home, on the other side of the galaxy. He made silent farewells to them and to his newer members present with him.

Eight seconds left and Paris could see more clearly Earth-like trees. It gave him a brief memory of home, and then his thoughts went to _Voyager_ and her crew, which had provided his second chance in life. Then his thoughts turned to concern, he hoped that their misfortune would just be their own, not anybody else's that happened to get in the way of the crashing ship.

One more second elapsed and the Borg/ Human hybrid analysed a disturbing sensation that was new to her, and concluded that it was fear. Fear for her individuality and mortality and fear for others.

Six seconds. The young flight controller guided their descent vector as best he could with one engine. He used what was left to take the clearest path available. When the engine died out there was nothing else he could do but wait an eternity in such a small amount of time.

With five seconds gone the Ensign had to remind himself to breathe - there was always a small chance. They had been through so much for it to end already. They had the "best damn pilot they could have" at the helm. there might be a chance.

Four seconds remaining. "Brace for impact!" They took up crash positions, bodies compressed against chairs, heads covered and eyes scrunched up tight. Three seconds. The ship hacked through the forest canopy. At two seconds breaths were held. One second, time's up. The ship crashed into the ground.

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

**Exploratory. **

By

Serena Aris.

Disclaimers: Paramount and other big organisations own Star Trek: Voyager, the ship, its crew and the whole trek universe. I'm just borrowing some of it for a short amount of time.

**Exploratory.**

By

Serena Aris.

**Chapter Two.**

The starship _Voyager_ effortlessly orbited the M-class planet, Alka-prime 2. It circled protectively around the colourful planet that held its visiting crew. The lean, powerful ship stood out against the leaf green seas and pastel lilac earth like a beacon. Its pigmentation was possibly due to its nearby Sun, which was similar to Earth's only older and which was accompanied by another smaller star about the size of Pluto, circling it at a safe distance from one another. Luckily Alka-prime 2 was at just the right distance to form life. This just gave the planet longer days and sometimes during its year, no night. It was truly an alien planet.

On the planet the _Voyager_ crew were the guests of the Alkarians. They had proven to be a peaceful and friendly race, a refreshing change to the hostility the Alpha Quadrant natives had faced on their journey so far. The aliens were a fairly advanced race that had colonised the planet generations ago. This explained the contrast between their bright environment and the brown earthy tones of the Alkarians themselves. Their species seemed to have evolved from the ground, with their chestnut mottled skin that was almost scaly. Their eyes were wide but sharp and they possessed a spiny mane, which its current function seemed to now only be decoration.

Although the Alkarians were technologically advanced they had chosen to celebrate _Voyager'_s arrival with a traditional feast of fire-roasted meats, handpicked vegetables and fruits and other delicious hand cooked foods. It was as juicy and tasty, as it was beautiful and colourful. Ancient folk dances were performed to entertain them and cultural music was played in the background. Their surroundings were equally impressive, aesthetically natural but disguising their technology beneath. Homes were made with the natural materials of their environment and so were just as vivid. The air smelled sweet with the juicy fruits of nearby crop and bountiful blossoms growing everywhere, a nearby stream bubbled with contentment. It was a paradise.

Captain Kathryn Janeway, of the Federation starship _Voyager_ had taken the generous host's offer and allowed her crew shoreleave. They were taking it in turns to visit the planet while the others made repairs and attempted a full maintenance overhaul. The crew welcomed the long awaited break and the picturesque location was a great bonus. So when the Intrepid class ship landed on the planet they had the wonderful view everyday.

During their stay the Alkarian Chief had informed Captain Janeway of a possible energy resource in a nearby system, while picking up scans from their probes monitoring their dual star system. With her ship almost ready to set off into deep space again, Janeway saw an opportunity for a scouting mission. The away team would take the newly maintained _Delta Flyer_ acquire any energy resource they could use and _Voyager_ could catch them up and leave the area, losing no more added time for its much needed servicing. And she knew just who to assign to this mission.

Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero-One had been working closely with an Alkarian Astrophysicist, analysing their space probes. They were using the information to calculate possible scenarios involving the two stars, what would happen if they collided; if that was possible and what would happen should one collapse? All-important questions, they found that at their current rate the two celestial bodies would remain at their present length apart unless some outside force intervened. Their Sun would die out in a few million years so they would keep monitoring it and the space around them.

Captain Janeway entered the scientist's hut dressed in her Starfleet Uniform. Seven deduced that she was on some official capacity and something was required for the ship. "Ah, Seven, I knew I would find you here. And this is.?" Janeway asked enquiring to the half Borg's male companion.

"Captain Janeway, this is Mak-Brel," Seven of Nine introduced, like the Doctor had taught her. They exchanged hellos in the other's custom before the tall blonde woman continued. "Mak-Brel's expertise is in astrophysics, and he allowed me the opportunity to study their readings on the dual star. I wish to use _Voyager_'s own sensors when it reaches orbit and collate the two investigations to insure their accuracy." The quiet Alkarian nodded in agreement with great enthusiasm.

"I'm afraid that you won't be able to use _Voyager_'s sensors." The red shouldered woman told her informatively. The younger woman raised a metallic eyebrow and stated, "Lieutenant Torres has assured me that the sensor's maintenance has been completed."

"I didn't mean that you can't do it, because you can, just not with _Voyager_. I'm assigning you to an away mission to attempt to identify and obtain a possible energy resource from a nearby star system. As for the dual star analysis you can collect your information using the _Delta Flyer_ and send it back to Mak-Brel."

She compromised, waiting for her officer's decision. She had come a long way since she was separated from the Collective and Kathryn hoped that she would continue to grow as an individual under her guidance. Her body was human with Borg implants but her brain still functioned like a Borg's, a machine.

"I will comply. When do I depart?" Seven replied in her usual way.

"In three hours, and you won't be alone Paris and Kim will be with you. The Captain said her goodbyes to the scientist and told Seven that they would meet up again in the shuttlebay for a quick briefing before they departed. The Borg/Human hybrid returned back to her work with Mak-Brel, before heading back to the cargo bay that had become her home.

To be continued…

Any suggestions, criticisms or comments are all welcome as they help me stay on track.


	3. Chapter 3

**Exploratory. **

By

Serena Aris.

Disclaimers: Paramount and other big organisations own Star Trek: Voyager, the ship, its crew and the whole trek universe. I'm just borrowing some of it for a short amount of time.

/\ /\ /\

**Exploratory.**

By

Serena Aris.

**Chapter Three.**

After leaving Seven of Nine to make her own preparations, Janeway had to use her instincts as to where her other two away team members were. She knew that if she found one, the other wouldn't be too far away. Discovering Chakotay who was reading quietly in the shade of a tall plant, he offered to join her and together they attempted to track the two young officers down. They had to resort to the old-fashioned ways as not everyone had a combadge with them; it wouldn't be a holiday if they did. It was easy enough to locate her crew with the ship's sensors and beam everyone back that wasn't Alkarian, but that was hardly fair on the other one hundred and fifty or so crew.

"Any specific reason for your choosing of Paris and Kim for this?" Asked her first officer who was wearing his casual attire.

"They are both senior officers, Paris is our best pilot and has an expertise in rock climbing if they need it. Kim has engineering knowledge that matches or even exceeds any one in that department, so he can help Seven convert the resource into compatible energy that we can use."

"You just want to send those two to keep them out of trouble!" The tattooed man said with a knowing grin.

"Well, yeah. Just look at their track record, trouble just seems to find them." Kathryn said laughing.

"I haven't heard about any disturbances so far."

"Exactly, so let's not push our luck. These people are one of the few genuinely friendly races we've met in a long while so let's try and depart on good impressions." They had both been light-hearted and humorous but it was also a sad fact that the Federation travellers's reputation had preceded them. And it wasn't often seen in a good light. They continued to walk, side by side in a moment of silence to gather their thoughts, comfortable in one another's presence as they padded along a leafy trail. "No in all seriousness, their shoreleave is almost up anyway, and I was hoping that they might bring Seven out a bit more."

"Is there a problem?" He asked with concern, the man that had once been Captain Janeway's quarry and was now her trusted friend and confidante. He held away a stray branch that was obstructing their path and let her pass ahead of him, avoiding any collision before continuing on his way.

Janeway slowed a step in order for him to rejoin her, as she replied, "Not anything immediate. It's just that she's spent all of her leave working." This earned her a look from Chakotay who eyed her uniform. "I will be taking all of my assigned leave time, once I've sent them on their way, don't you worry. Even Tuvok has taken some time away from the ship, saying it was a 'logical need to spend time on a planetoid and get some fresh air'." Her companion looked at her with surprise, which she reflected back. Still the Vulcan had a point, humans and most other humanoid species needed to have a break from their everyday environment for their mental health if nothing else. He also suspected that the Security Chief was making sure that his Captain would take a break as well. "I just also think that they work well together and with Paris there, it's not going to follow too rigid a regime!"

The Indian man agreed, a little bit of flexibility, but still getting the job done, wasn't going to hurt the ex-Borg. It might even help her transition from machine to human he thought with an inward shudder. Then what made him shiver in fear more was the thought that Seven could develop Mr Paris' sense of humour.

/\ /\ /\

Laughter could be heard coming from the river. Positioned near its shore were a gathering of humanoids, on closer inspection there were two different races present. Near the centre of the huddle were two human males competing in what looked like some sort of game. The contenders each wore a temple implant, which relayed instructions from their brains to holographic projectors concealed in the area around them. The object of the game was to control a small flying disc and pass it through the random astral hoops that formed, collecting scores for each pass. Two discs were whizzing through the air above the spectators' heads, making breathtaking fireworks as they passed through a hoop. The red streamlined disc was in the lead by a wide margin, compared to the blue. A bleep sounded to signify time's up, game over, causing the pointed discs to stop then drop silently to the ground.

The two competitors removed the small round implants that softly hissed as they did so. As they regained their bearings, the smaller man asked, "How did you beat me by so much on our first go? This was the first time you've played it? Your not hustling me are you?" Ensign Kim thought back to Paris' holoprogram of Sandrines where they played pool. It was there that the young Ops officer had learnt the hard way the lesson of hustling. The man in question grinned in remembrance.

"I don't know Harry, they did say that it used your senses and instincts. Maybe you thought too much about it?"

"Maybe. You didn't answer all of my questions." The taller man gave him a butter-wouldn't-melt look, which he chose to ignore. "Anyway, I think that you might have had an unfair advantage, your senses are all honed for flying." He said good-naturedly.

"Hey if they have an Ops or Engineering version of the game I'll give you a rematch! Either way B'Elanna has got to try it!" _Voyager'_s pilot said responding to his friend. He had slowly got closer to the ship's Chief Engineer, becoming friends then developing further, now dating one another. Somehow this seemingly mismatched couple on the surface, were perfectly harmonised to each other, although arguments and teething problems were still evident.

"Try what?" A feminine voice said from behind them, and when they turned around they found that it belonged to the Engineer in question. Harry Kim, smiled and said a hello in welcome, Paris however gave his girlfriend a kiss. "What no, 'how was your day, honey'?"

"I know how your day was. For most living beings it was boring and hard work, but to you it was the equivalent of a few days of fun-filled shoreleave!" The tall blonde man said in a tone that was hard to distinguish if it was mockery or fact.

"You enjoy your work! And anyway I wouldn't have to repair _Voyager'_s warp and navigation systems if a certain pilot didn't keep wrecking them. You can't keep taking the ship to its limits without expecting some wear and tear." She said protectively of her engines.

"Yes ma'am!" He gave her another kiss, halting whatever retort was next. "Well, while you were puzzling over fried neural gel packs and plasma couplings Harry and I have been testing our wits in a native game."

Kim saw the glance his friend gave him and knew that he was up to something. "What game?" Paris shook his head. "Come on, what sort of game?"

"Oh just a mind game." He said relinquishing a cryptic clue.

"What's the matter helmboy, afraid that I'll beat you?" The smaller Asian man stepped back to watch the banter between his two best friends, following it from one side to the other.

"No." Paris said in an indifferent manner. "I just didn't think that you'd be interested in games." Kim saw the wind-up, where B'Elanna Torres clearly didn't, being too far into the implied challenge. He hid a grin behind his hand. "You probably wouldn't be any good at it." And there was the challenge.

"Bring it on pig," the ex-Maquis used as a battle charge. She took off looking for the possible game, like a sinewy predator. She pounced on the nearest Alkarian for information.

"I love it when she's all fired up!" Said Paris laughing as he watched the fiery woman in action. Baiting a Klingon could be a dangerous game, luckily Torres was only half-Klingon and Paris was sure that he could handle it.

It was at this time that Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay finally caught up with them. "Gentlemen!" The authoritative female said, suppressing a laugh when the two men jumped in surprise.

"Captain!" Ensign Harry Kim said, holding a hand over his chest. Paris merely nodded with a smile. "What can we do for you?"

"Sorry to cut your shoreleave short but I have an assignment for the two of you. I'm sending you ahead of the rest of us to check out a possible energy source in a nearby system." The Alkarians had no need for energy supplies, they got all they needed from solar power.

"Any inhabitants, or anyone staking claim to the area?" Her Chief Helmsmen asked. Janeway took this as a sign that they were willing to go.

"Not that the Alkarians are aware of. But if it does belong to someone else, try and open up a trade agreement." Chakotay answered and Janeway nodded in agreement.

Harry was already ahead of them, "We'll need to take some equipment from engineering, laser cutters." He thought out loud, mainly towards Paris.

His Captain held up a hand. "It's already being organised and everything you could possibly need is being loaded onto the _Delta Flyer_. All you two need to do is pack some personal items and get on the ship."

"So when do we go?" The fair, blonde man asked, he couldn't spend too long on the planet anyway he got sunburn easily and even more so with two suns.

"I told Seven that you would meeting her in the shuttlebay in about two and a half hours, so make the most of your time left. I'll don't expect to see you both till then."

The four officers scattered. Kim went off looking for a suitable souvenir of this Delta Quadrant paradise. He watched Paris jog in Torres' direction and knew that his best friends would want to spend some time on their own. Janeway took Chakotay's offered arm and took another stroll, this time along the tranquil shoreline.

/\ /\/\

B'Elanna Torres spotted her tall, blonde pilot jogging towards her and smiled. As he drew near she held up the small coin-sized implants. "Found them, fly-boy. I bet you thought that I wouldn't think about looking for something so small."

He smiled, kissing her as he did so. "You are so cute when you're determined." His grin widened when her cheeks coloured in a rosy glow and dipped her gaze. Blushing, a human trait still viable with the tough warrior genes of her mother's race.

"Did I see the Captain?" She said diverting his attention. They still had their bodies held close until he held her hand and lead her to a nearby rock, where they sat down.

"Yeah you did. Harry and me have been assigned to an away mission, obtaining some kind of energy source. So I've got a few hours left before I have to be back on the ship."

"I know. Who's idea do you think it was for the ship to be ready loaded? I delegated." She smiled at his surprised look. "Besides I wanted to spend time with you before our conflicting work schedules got in the way again."

"Ah, the sacrifices we make for our careers!" Paris said chuckling, earning a playful punch from Torres. Although he joked the two of them took their duties seriously. To Tom Paris it wasn't that long ago when he thought that he might ever have any sort of career again. Who would want a liar, coward, ex-Maquis and ex-convict? He pushed back the thoughts, Janeway had given him his second chance and he would not ruin it. "Well we best make the most of this time you've claimed. Any ideas?"

"A few." They moved closer towards one another, their arms cradling around the other. The near future or next hour didn't matter, just each other's presence, sharing the moment, as their lips were once again reunited as they claimed each other's mouths.

/\ /\ /\

Tom Paris had left B'Elanna on the planet and would see her again in a few days. He had left her promising him that she would relax. She proved her intentions by showing him the Klingon "romance" novel that she intended to read in peace and quiet in a tranquil spot on the colourful planet. She had told him to take care, adding that the little ship's spare parts were difficult to replace. He laughed at her sarcasm and kissed her goodbye, wished her a well deserved break and boarded the _Delta Flyer_.

Looking back, Kim and Paris had enjoyed leaving the planet almost as much as arriving on it. The Alkarians knew how to treat their guests and supplied them with a feast of juicy organic fruits, home-made breads, pastries and cakes for them to enjoy. That had been expeditiously eaten within the first day of the journey. Even Seven had had some, saying that it was for species and cultural research. Seven's Alkarian friend had also been pleased with the data she sent on the dual stars, and talked at some length with her before the signal moved out of range.

Finally they arrived at the system two days later. They had entered it three hours ago and now Paris was bored and wished that they had saved some of the delicious provisions from forty eight hours ago, replicator food was bland in comparison. During the journey he had staved off the boredom by varying the flight to keep him amused. He had added a 'loop the loop' and a couple of zigzag manoeuvres to the route, much to the displeasure of his companions. Now however it was their turn to work as they continuously scanned and analysed the data collected from the planetoids and moons that they passed.

The system was similar to Earth's Solar system, one Sun, with planets circling around it. The differences were that only five planets orbited its star and there was no evidence of intelligent life. They had followed the energy signature to the system and reduced to an acceptable speed to allow Seven and Kim to collect enough efficient data as they made their way through. They needed to be certain that their presence was not seen as trespassing to whomever, if anyone, that claimed the area.

So far they had discovered some useful elements on the deserted planets and moons that Voyager could harvest and use in and around the ship. They could collect some of the metals to create spare parts or use to make alloys. They were just passing the Sun when they finally found what they were looking for. The fifth planet was just hidden visually by the fiery ball that heated it. It was the source of their energy signature.

"I can confirm that the energy signature is emanating from the planet." Seven announced in her succinct manner.

"Good, I'll plot a course." The pilot said, pleased to have finally reached their goal. "What sort of readings are you getting from it? From what I can see from here the whole planet is green!"

At his statement the other two officers looked up to see the monochrome acid-green planet. "I have not before encountered a planet like this." The ex-Borg said before delving back into the readings on her console. The planet was soon filling the viewscreen as the _Flyer_ grew closer.

"I'm not picking up much. Wait, the sensors are reading; a solid mass, oxygen, nitrogen. I've lost it. That's strange, I can't pick anything up now." Harry Kim added perplexed.

Paris checked his sensors, as did Seven, all of them retrieved the same results. "What happened? You did say that the computer registered oxygen, it is a planet?" Paris asked, his puzzled expression mirrored by his friend.

"It was like reading a ghost, one second it was there the next it was gone!"

"But this ghost we can see is there. Could it be a malfunction?"

"I can detect no malfunction." Seven informed raising an eyebrow as her eyes looked at the planet. "We know that the planet is there as we have visual confirmation. It could be that this planet is surrounded by a substance that our sensors can not detect." Paris then put the ship into orbit around the sphere.

"So if we are saying that this is a planet, could it support life?" Paris asked weighing up the possibilities of them having a landing party on the mysterious planet below.

"Theoretically, I believe so." Seven of Nine interjected. She was to the point and sometimes brutally honest, which Paris liked about her, it also gave her a child-like innocence, but she also wasn't afraid of the consequences of her words. He had made a sort of connection with the outcast Borg when she was first separated from the Collective. She was shunned by most of the crew for what she was and did but Paris knew from personal experience what it was like to have a past that everyone knew about and judged you on. He also knew what it was like to be shunned, alone, an outsider, so he offered Seven his friendship and understanding. Now she was slowly becoming an integral member of the crew and someone he trusted.

"Let's send a hail just to be on the safe side. We don't want to drop in unannounced if anyone is there. Or drop through if there is no planet!" Paris said and watched as Harry prepared it, sent it and nodded with a grin when it was completed. Now it was the waiting game again as they waited for a possible reply.

Suddenly a blinding white light hit the ship. The occupants were thrown from their seats. "What the hell was that?" Paris grunted from the floor. However it wasn't over. As he scrambled to his knees the ship descended into darkness. Not even the consoles gave any light, only a faint green glow was emitted from the planet through the _Flyer_'s windows. As the three crewmembers scrabbled about to find their seats, the ship lurched. Then it fell. "B'Elanna is going to kill me." Paris attempted in humour as they fell headlong towards the ominous planet. He looked at his console there was nothing he could do. The ship was in free-fall.

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4

**Exploratory. **

By

Serena Aris.

Disclaimers: Paramount and other big organisations own Star Trek: Voyager, the ship, its crew and the whole trek universe. I'm just borrowing some of it for a short amount of time.

**Exploratory.**

By

Serena Aris.

**Chapter Four.**

This world was dark and full of pain. He'd died before when he was evolving into a reptile but it didn't feel like this. This new world felt too accustomed, like an occasional visit from a companion. A familiar instinct kicked in. He felt pain, pain meant that he was alive. His eyelids were lined with lead but he eventually forced one eye open. A searing pain split his head and his eye snapped shut. His head throbbed in harmony with the thudding in his chest. Wincing, he waited a few moments before a feeling of urgency entered hi mind, but he could not remember why. The rhythmic pounding in his head would not allow him to think.

Attempting again, but more slowly this time, he opened his eyes enough for his lashes to filter the light. The throbbing pain remained but he could bare it, where the anxiousness in his stomach he could not. He tried to focus his vision as it swam chaotically before him. Once the world remained on a level plane he found himself lying against his console in the little ship he had helped design and build. Then suddenly it all came flooding back to the pilot, the mission, the planetoid and the crash!

"Harry, Seven!" Tom Paris rasped out, fearing for his friends' safety. Silence was the reply. Panicked he attempted to move. His head was heavy as he struggled to lift it from the sleek surface of the console. He used his arms to push himself up from his stricken position, elevating his head as he rose. Pushing back the nausea the movement caused, he tried to fight against the vertigo that washed over him. He closed his eyes against the rapid downward rush of blood from his head.

Turning his chair, not yet trusting his legs to hold him, his eyes darted around the shuttle's interior. In the dim, smoky atmosphere he could make out a crumpled form upon the floor, and another balancing precariously on the edge of a chair. Fuelled by urgency and concern he dragged his long form out of his seat, using consoles and walls for support as he desperately scrabbled towards his prone friends. Kneeling down to the nearest form, Seven of Nine he forcibly reminded himself of his field medic training and took a shaky breath to steady himself.

Moving a stray golden lock of hair from her throat, he felt for a pulse. As he held his breath and fearing the worse he felt the pulsating of her blood beneath her skin and let out a breath. Her eyes opened suddenly, startling him before relief took over. She stared ahead blankly, before her calculating gaze turned to gaze at him. "Are you alright? How do you feel?"

"I am undamaged." She said in her ingrained mechanical way. She proved this, as she stood up in one swift, graceful movement, then proceeded towards the young man on the chair. _Harry._ Tom tried to rouse him but he did not stir. The pilot's heart raced and he increased his efforts. He couldn't let anything happen to Harry, his best friend. At the beginning, his only friend, now the younger man was like the brother he never had.

"Harry!" Harry Kim's eyes fluttered. He gasped for air then awoke soon after, much to Tom's relief. "How you feeling buddy?"

"Like I was body slammed by a Klingon." He whispered and elicited a small laugh from Paris.

Seven moved past the blonde man and took out a medical tricorder. "You have sustained bruises to your upper torso and hairline fractures to two ribs. You will live." She replaced the scanning device with a hypospray and a regenerator. Pain relief was administered before treating his injuries.

Kim took a breath without it causing him pain. "Thanks." Seven dipped her head in acknowledgement, as she finished treating him. She then turned her attention to Paris who was struggling to keep his eyes open. In the dim she could clearly see with her ocular implant, a line marring his handsome features from his temple to his jaw. On closer inspection she discovered that it was blood.

She pushed him assertively into the nearest seat and pulled out the tricorder again. She observed Lieutenant Paris wince as the scanning light neared hi eyes, so she shifted the tricorder into her other hand and administered a hypospray in the other. Almost immediately his features relaxed in relief and he gave Seven a smile in return. Her attention detracted from Paris when Harry gave a shout of triumph as the environmentals kicked in, venting the smoke and leaving clean air behind.

Analysing the data on the hand-held screen, Seven found that apart from the head-injury the pilot had also suffered neck injury. When she informed Mr Paris he referred to it as "whiplash." As she dealt with his injuries, Ensign Kim attempted to bring the sensors back online.

"I guess we found out that there is something solid to land on within the green mass." Kim deduced as he opened up the panel beneath his console. He scowled as he saw several fired circuits.

"Well we're not floating, and I'd certainly not call it a landing." Said Paris as he tentatively tested his newly healed neck. The trickle of blood lining the right side of his face was the only evidence of their being any injury.

Kim shot him a sympathetic look as he awkwardly peered round his console. "It wasn't your fault. We're still in one piece thanks to you."

"I concur," said the half-Borg who was now scanning the interior of their ship with a remaining undamaged tricorder. "From my scans, although limited I have deduced that the ship was struck by ionised particles. Details of which are inconclusive."

"Could it have been a natural occurrence?" Said Harry muffled by the console, who became instantly intrigued.

"It is possible. Without the ship's sensors I am unable to clarify."

"Meanwhile Paris moved back towards his station and attempted to look out of the windows. As he looked closer at the void that stared back at him, he noticed tonal differences. Light was trying to get through, and as he searched he found a speck piercing through. If he was in the holodeck, driving his Chevy he would have put the wipers and screen wash on. The _Delta Flyer_ however was not equipped with them.

"I think I've got it!" Harry called, rising from the floor and brushing himself clean. "Seven try sensors now."

She prodded the console with a metal-coated finger and slowly it spluttered to life. Her sapphire eyes roamed over the information-streaming in. "Sensors are at thirty percent. For now."

"Good maybe now we can find out if its safe to go outside? The air in here will only last for so long." Tom said glancing between his friends and squinting at the windows.

"I'll try to send a signal to _Voyager_ while we've still got power." The Ops officer interjected.

"I am reading a nitrogen-oxygen based atmosphere. Analysis states that it is an M-class planet." She said with a raised eyebrow. "It is safe to leave the shuttle. However the oxygen ratio is lower than the Earth's so you will be required to adapt. Normal activities may now become strenuous for you."

"What about you? You're more human now how will it effect you?" Paris asked.

"My Borg nanoprobes will adapt and compensate for the lack of oxygen. I will be unaffected." She informed him. The two blonde crewmembers both looked towards Harry Kim as he let out a noisy sigh. He was still tapping at his console.

"A message has been sent. Whether _Voyager_ gets it is another matter. I'm not sure what effect that outer layer will have." Harry Kim said without looking up.

The three humans unintentionally stood in a moment of silence, mulling over their situation and any possible consequences or foreseeable problems. _Voyager'_s helmsmen moved towards the shuttle's hatch, his footfalls loud in the silence. The manual control was stiff and screeched its reluctance but finally it released them to the environment outside.

The first thing Ensign Kim noticed was how thin the air was. It wasn't what he was used to but it was fresh and clean. As he took deep, slow breaths he noticed how green the area was. They were surrounded by big thick feather- like vegetation that whistled in the breeze. On the back of the breeze floated in the sweet humid scent of plant life. He looked up to the sky and it was blue where he was expecting green. There was no evidence of the green anomaly that they had seen from space. It alluded him as he slowly made his way down the ramp, watching his footing as he stepped onto the ploughed brown earth. Seeing Paris assessing the area around them, his hand holding a phaser ready, Kim opened his tricorder.

As soon as the tricorder registered no other life signs and he reported the fact to the others he started scanning everything else. The air, vegetation and earth were within the M-class parameters. Paris called to him it seemed that Seven had found something more interesting. His two friends were leaning towards the _Delta Flyer_'s port side. Paris was rubbing the back of his neck while staring at something just past Seven. As Kim drew near he could see the cause of their concern. Marring the shuttle's side was a scorch mark that was the same size as him. Other marks had been uncovered from the layer of earth that covered them. The force must have been strong, as gaping holes had been made in the duranium hull plating.

"Did the green layer do that to the shuttle?" Asked Kim his eyes wide open. A flying insect flew over head, halting them immediately with its buzz. The rhythmic beat of its wings was like a heartbeat in the stillness. There was life on this planet.

Continuing on unfazed Seven replied, "it is the most logical cause. It is the main variable in our investigation."

"How did we miss the ionised particles? Surely the sensors would have registered a build-up?"

"Perhaps the ionisation was a by-product of the anomaly that struck us and therefore was undetectable to our sensors until now." Theorised Seven

"Also puts a dampener on the theory that the anomaly is natural." Added Paris, still partly preoccupied with watching the sky.

"It is possible that the anomaly is artificial, however we have yet to uncover evidence that is anything more than inconclusive. When _Voyager_ arrives I can study this planet more efficiently, with its full facilities."

"That's one of the problems. We don't know that when the Captain comes looking for us, that the same will happen to them?" The pilot stood up from his squat position and started to pace, his hand still clasping the back of his neck.

"Whatever impacted the _Flyer_ didn't scatter us into particle dust, so _Voyager_ should be big enough to withstand the force." The Ops officer assured his friend, the pilot took in the logic of his words and ceased his pacing.

"Well, what I want to know is why we can't see or read anything of that green anomaly? Its like it doesn't exist from here." The Lieutenant said exasperated by the many unanswered questions. "So the _Delta Flyer_ is still sending out calls to _Voyager_?"

"For now anyway. I don't know how long the power is going to last." Kim acknowledged.

"We don't know if the anomaly is in fact an anomaly or if there is any sentient life on this planet. It would help explain a lot if we did find intelligent life."

"Well we do seem to be in the middle of nowhere, in dense forestation. And if there were humanoids on this planet, with any sort of communication device they might have picked up our distress signal." Theorised Kim out loud. "As for the anomaly, it could be affected by light, making it invisible from down here."

"I hope to study the area more closely. This planet could hold valuable resources that _Voyager_ could harness. I would need to leave the immediate vicinity to avoid the results being contaminated by the crash-site," said the former Borg drone.

"Alright, we don't want to go back empty handed, Harry you go with her. I'll see what I can do around here." The ensign and Seven turned to leave their tricorders at the ready when Paris spoke again. "You'll best be taking this," as he threw a phaser in their direction. Seven caught it easily with her cyborg reflexes. At her look Paris explained, "there could be lions, tigers and bears." Harry laughed but Seven merely raised her ocular brow and stated "unlikely," before continuing on her way.

/ o / o /

It had been at least twenty minutes since Harry and Seven had left on their scientific expedition. In that time Paris had pulled open several panels and had wires and connections in organised disarray. The sensors had fluctuated from thirty percent to three percent and communications was soon to follow. Doing the best with what little he had, he tried to maintain his main priority, establishing contact with _Voyager_. And at the moment with the weather as pleasant as it is life support isn't a priority at this moment in time thought Tom. When he had finished the manual re-routing of power the only console that remained alit within the _Flyer_ was communications. Its small green light flashed rhythmically like a heartbeat, still flashing, still functional. Using the faint green intermittent reflection on the black sheen of the consoles to guide him, he made his way out of the dark ship.

Scrambling over the ripped up earth that surrounded the ship, Lieutenant Paris with what little undamaged tools he could find searched the ship's perimeter. Slowly and carefully he checked the outer hull for damage. He would need Seven and Kim's help to get the other ship's systems online. He had just spotted something that was partly concealed by earth, when a feeling washed over him. His eyes glanced about the area around him, the odd feeling slowly dissipated so he returned to his work.

Drawing his bric-a-brac tools closer to him he knelt down on one knee to inspect the hole he had found. The sun was pleasant on his face and neck and he took a moment to enjoy the natural experience. He took a deep breath savouring the plant smell that brought with it memories of sunny days sitting on the freshly cut lawns of the Academy campus. As he dug away the soil that was obstructing his way he remembered a few of the ladies he would sit with enjoying the sun. That was then, he was different now and he had B'Elanna. A woman with such fire, determination and strength yet harboured a vulnerability that she concealed deep down. He had recognised that vulnerability as it was mirrored within himself. He hoped that he was helping to heal her tarnished soul, as he knew she was for him.

Finally revealing more of the damage to his creation, he was about to start repairs when the feeling returned. He looked about him but it did not falter. The tree line before him was empty and still. Shrugging it off to an over-active imagination he continued with his digging.

A loud "SNAP" halted him immediately and he swung around to face the sound. Unconsciously he held his breath as he listened for danger, his eyes darting. He held this position for a few moments, his lungs heaving. Moving towards the area of the sound, he stalked towards the tree line hefting a hyper-spanner as a weapon. Then a small fuzzy creature no larger than a cat darted out of the undergrowth and he exhaled in relief. Feeling slightly light-headed and chuckling at his absurdity he inhaled deeply and turned back towards the _Flyer_. Get a grip Paris thought the young pilot.

He came face to face with a black mask. Startled he jumped back, dropping the spanner. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw two more black clad figures phase out of camouflage. They surrounded him as he subtly assessed them. All three, no now six of them had some sort of weapon pointed at him, with other hardware on their waists.

Hoping to break the stand-off Paris spoke, "I mean you no harm, my name is Tom Paris." A she spoke another figure came into view holding a cat- creature like the one that he had seen before. Not liking the feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach he eyed the spanner at his feet.

Just as he looked up and tapped his combadge one of the humanoids fired its weapon. The blast hit him in the thigh. His leg gave out and he toppled crying out in pain. As he landed, he tried to grasp the air that had been knocked out of him. Taking quick ragged breaths he warned his friends, "Harry, Seven, run!" His outstretched hand groped for the spanner. But the proven hostiles were upon him like vultures to a carcass. His weapon violently kicked out of reach. He was struck sharply in his side before convulsing with shock as an electric current plunged him into darkness.

To be continued ...


	5. Chapter 5

**Exploratory. **

By

Serena Aris.

Disclaimers: Paramount and other big organisations own Star Trek: Voyager, the ship, its crew and the whole trek universe. I'm just borrowing some of it for a short amount of time.

-o- -o- -o-

**Exploratory.**

By

Serena Aris.

**Chapter Five.**

Seven of Nine had been watching Ensign Kim dig. She had instructed him to make a hole, half a metre wide by one metre deep. Kim had protested to the measurements so she relented and rephrased her instructions to include 'approximately.' The completed hole was not to her high standards as the Ensign had insisted on doing the digging, however judging his shortness of breath it would suffice.

As the Ops officer lounged back against a tree Seven took careful soil samples looking for traces of useful elements. The tricorder rolled through all of the tests and eventually let out a triumphant beep that the two of them took notice of.

Seven expertly tapped the tricorder, getting the information she required before informing Kim. "I am reading several elements which we could use to form duranium."

"We always need hull plating." Quipped Kim, although sadly it was true especially when the races they encountered were hostile towards them.

"It has also detected trace amounts of deuterium and dilithium. Without the _Delta Flyer's_ sensors we will need to do more tests. However the evidence suggests that there could be an ample enough supply for _Voyager_..."

Both of their combadges chirped. To their horror they heard the cries of a male in agony followed by a thud. The two witnesses to this audio hell looked to each other as ragged breaths gasped out the warning "Harry, Seven, run!" It was Tom. Kim was wide-eyed in shock as the realisation kicked in. There was more commotion then the com went dead.

Harry and Seven stood in stunned silence. Nervous breathing was the only sound as Kim panted. Seven slapped her combadge, "Lieutenant Paris please respond!" A moment later she said, "I repeat, please respond." When she received no reply Harry too tried his combadge. After several failed attempts Harry took off at a run. "Ensign Kim what are you doing?" Seven shouted to his retreating back.

"I'm doing what Tom told us to do." He replied, as only a pair of golden shoulders was visible through the branches.

"You are going the wrong way. You are going towards the shuttle." She said as she ran to catch up with him.

"Exactly."

Running through the vegetation, leaves and branches hindered his travel at every turn as they sprang back and slashed at his body and face. The stinging pain he felt and the burning of his heaving lungs was in no comparison to what he imagined Tom to be going through. Did wild animals attack him? Their tricorders had picked up no life-signs, only when the insect had flown by them earlier. There might have been a few small creatures not detected by the tricorder but nothing that could bring down someone as tall as Tom. What if it was some sort of alien tree monster? The thoughts continued to race round his mind.

As he neared the _Flyer's_ position he stopped to catch his breath - ready to face whatever had become of his friend. He took a shaky step forward just as he was dragged back. A hand over his mouth prevented his yelp of surprise. He fell backwards and scrambled in the dirt before coming face to face with Seven of Nine.

"Jeez, Seven you scared..." He was interrupted as she pushed him further into the ground and put a finger to her lips. He did as he was told as he raised himself up on his elbows. He watched curiously as she slowly crawled towards the edge of the clearing, the tricorder already out scanning. As he crawled along side her he understood her caution.

Surrounding the _Delta Flyer_ were a dozen humanoids with weapons in guarding positions. Several others were scanning and moving the Alpha Quadrant native's equipment. There was no sign of Tom. Checking her readings on the tricorder Seven could detect the humanoids and recorded the information for future use. However there was no hint of a human bio-sign. Now they knew that sentient life existed on this planet.

Kim looked at the scene in disbelief. Seven turned her analytical gaze away from the small diagnostic screen and looked to him. "I suggest that we presume these humanoids to be hostile until proven otherwise." Harry being Starfleet naturally leaned towards giving the benefit of the doubt to alien species, but he had to agree with Seven for now. Shifting forward to get a better look he snapped a branch.

The guards nearest to them looked in their direction. The two voyagers froze. As the two black-clothed guards called for back up Harry hastily crawled back the way he came. The first guard was making his way up the slope into the vegetation. Harry staggered to his feet grabbing Seven's arm and dragging her up as he started to run. Voices could be heard behind them despite their panicked fleeing.

Running at full pelt Harry failed to see the out cropping root. He tripped rolling into a gorge. Slapping into the side he tried to steady himself while his body thought that he was still rolling and spinning. Seven landed next to him with a cat-like grace. The stomping of feet were steadily getting closer. Using the tree roots above them like an umbrella he and Seven sheltered beneath them.

Huddling as close to the base of the tree as possible Seven withdrew her tricorder. The footsteps stopped. From Harry's position he could just see a booted foot above him. The guard directly above swept the area with a scanning device. Seven continued tapping the controls of her tricorder. Harry willed their pursuers to fail to detect them and leave. The guard hesitated, shuffled further towards the edge and looking below. He retreated back a few paces before leaping across the lattice network of roots and away from the hiding duo.

After the forest had been free from the sound of trampling feet for a while, Harry made sure the coast was clear. "Do you think you can do that trick again?" He asked referring to the tricorder.

"Yes. I have researched in detail information regarding 'Maquis tricks.'" At Kim's quizzical look she continued. "I did so after hearing Lieutenant Torres and Commander Chakotay made several references to them. I have found them to be quite resourceful; however they lack efficiency by depending upon strategies that have a high probability to fail..."

The Ensign stopped her before she gave him a full report on the Maquis and their tactics. "We had better find a more reliable hiding place. This place is probably still crawling with those gunmen." He would have to live to fight another day, hopefully Tom could last that long.

"I concur." She replied as they carefully scrambled from their temporary sanctuary. They stealthily moved through the forest to find a haven that could provide cover from both the hostiles and the encroaching night.

To be continued...

Thank you to everyone that has read my work so far and especially to those who reviewed it. The comments are very helpful and inspire me to write faster!


	6. Chapter 6

**Exploratory. **

By

Serena Aris.

Disclaimers: Paramount and other big organisations own Star Trek: Voyager, the ship, its crew and the whole trek universe. I'm just borrowing some of it for a short amount of time.

-o- -o- -o-

**Exploratory.**

By

Serena Aris.

**Chapter Six.**

A white room. Upon awakening Tom Paris had found himself surrounded by the white glare of the room. He didn't feel any pain, which was odd as the last thing he remembered was getting a message to Seven and Kim and being in a lot of pain.

So waking up to the brilliant illumination had scared him at first thinking he had entered some form of afterlife. With the many close-calls he'd had in his life he had never really addressed death and what lay beyond it. The type of past he had meant that he hoped his life didn't flash before his eyes as that would cause more pain than the act of death itself. Paris had always been a man of living in the now. With a past he didn't want to revisit and believing he had no future, gave him no choice. Now was different he had a family on _Voyager_ and B'Elanna. She consumed all he could remember of what he thought were his final moments. Thinking to tell her how much he loved her when he got back, he was determined to beat whatever trouble lay ahead of him.

He winced at the dull pain around his chest as he sat up. Assessing his injuries he noticed a scorch mark adorning his uniform. Peeking through the charred hole of the fabric he could see the recent wound. Whatever had caused it was sharp as it punctured and then burnt. Feeling it he noticed that some sort of salve had been applied. Further evidence to suggest that he had received some sort of medical attention was when he saw his leg. There was no real pain but an ache that was beneath a wrapping of white fabric that covered the majority of his thigh. Not wanting to disturb what little healing may have occurred he left the bandaging alone and just flexed his leg. Not ready to try putting weight on it yet, he swung his legs off his temporary white bed and remained sitting there.

Looking around at his new environment he found that it wasn't that different from a Starfleet brig. He sighed, another cell, jail, prison, lock up...was he destined to spend most of this journey to the Alpha Quadrant in some sort of captivity? He shrugged off the impending shudder _I could design the best maximum-security prison in the galaxy – literally_ he thought.

Assessing his cell one of the first things his keen piloting senses noticed was the lack of movement, the stillness. Either it was a very advanced warp capable ship that produced no vibrations or he was on the ground. His money was on the latter.

The cell itself was cubed with the block-like bed spanning the back width of the room. Parallel to this was a floor to ceiling window which Tom presumed was the only exit and entrance to his accommodation. From his position he could see another cell across the way. It was empty.

Steadying himself as he stood he tested his leg and made his way towards the transparent wall. He found that he could walk adequately with only a slight limp marring his gait. Tentatively touching the clear wall he found that it had no charge or force to repel or harm him. With his nose to the glass-like material he could see a corridor with cells either side of it in rows. Of the cells he could see to some degree, appeared to be occupied. He had various glances of feet and pacing bodies when the beings moved into his line of vision. A part of him maybe the explorer or curious side wanted to call out to them and ask where he was and what sort of things he could expect? However experience had taught him not to draw too much attention to himself unless it was necessary. Without his combadge he didn't think that he would be able to get "hello" across let alone a conversation. He was a pilot not a linguist!

Looking into the opposite cell and to the right of him Paris observed a fellow captive. It was blue in colour and looked like its species had evolved from sea creatures finally producing the humanoid form before him. It had a set of gills on its neck that fluttered rhythmically. The alien noticed Tom observing him and returned an evaluating gaze. The alien's eyes were big and black like a shark's but Paris noticed some sort of eyelid as it blinked. Keeping eye contact, the human tried to convey a non-threatening attitude in his features. He eventually drew his mouth into a smile making sure his teeth didn't show. The alien didn't seem to take offence only stare back with curiosity. It opened its rounded mammalian beak; that reminded Tom of Dolphins; as though it were about to speak when a noise down the corridor to its left startled it.

Noticing the glances towards the sound and then back to him, Tom took a step back from the glass. Footsteps sounded and he knew that they were coming for him. His hunch was confirmed when two armed humanoids stopped outside his cell. They were the same shape and build as the group that attacked him, only this time he could see their faces and their uniform was grey. A crown of horns adorned their heads, piercing through layers of thick coppery scales. For a fleeting moment Paris grasped at a memory, but as quick as it had come it was gone. With their beady eyes not leaving him as they glared at him from heavyset sockets Paris returned the wariness with casual confidence. Still weary but not intimidated by the blonde unarmed stranger one of the guards accessed something on the wall out of sight. Instantly the transparent door slid to the side and two weapons were set on him.

Interpreting their jerking sideways gesture Tom stepped out of his cell. Another gesture- a poke in the back with the weapon made him move forward between the guards. Sparing a quick glance to his left he saw the blue alien look back at him with a solemn expression. Nudged forward he continued moving.

Taking careful observations he found the cell door's operated on a touch panel. The correct button would open the door - the others he didn't want to find out their function. He also discovered that he and the blue alien were among a few inmates in the cellblock. Each one was physically different, a new race in each cell. However they all acted in a manner that he expected. Some ignored the guards and shrinked away while some glared, hissed and clenched teeth to express their displeasure. The venom filled atmosphere unnerved Paris and the room felt a few degrees colder. He was almost glad to be out of their path of hate even if it wasn't aimed at him. At the end of the corridor they went through a door locking the tension filled cellblock behind them.

To be continued...


	7. Chapter 7

**Exploratory. **

By

Serena Aris.

Disclaimers: Paramount and other big organisations own Star Trek: Voyager, the ship, its crew and the whole trek universe. I'm just borrowing some of it for a short amount of time.

-o- -o- -o-

**Exploratory.**

By

Serena Aris.

**Chapter Seven.**

After several hours of final overhaul and maintenance checks the orbiting _Voyager_ was ready to go. However the going part was proving difficult. The crew were going to miss the benevolent race that had become their friends but their goodbyes they had to say and did with sadness. Although they were sad to leave the crew's morale was high. The chance to relax planet-side in relative safety had brought a feeling of peace that would unfortunately be short-lived on their journey through the unknown.

Walking onto the bridge of her ship Captain Janeway felt a spring in her step. A feeling of refreshing energy had returned after deserting her long ago. Looking around at her crew she could see that she wasn't the only one in a good mood. The atmosphere was relaxed and smiles adorned various crewmembers' faces. Janeway couldn't keep the smile from her face either.

As she took her seat next to Chakotay they shared a smile before he turned back to his console. "I'm reporting no damage or system fluctuation from the planet launch and leaving the atmosphere. All the crew is accounted for and the food stores are full." The first officer reported.

"Excellent. You know, I'm really going to miss this place and these people." She paused and knew that Chakotay felt the same. "Helm set a course to rendezvous with the away team, warp six." The helm officer replied with an "aye" before carrying out the order. Then more to Chakotay she said, "We're slightly behind schedule. The Alkarians certainly know how to throw a party."

"They sure do. It makes a nice change to meet a race so friendly and accommodating."

"And so willing to trade. I hope Mr Neelix follows their recipes to the letter." She pushed back the thought of the delicious dishes slaughtered by a smothering of spices. "If he does we'll be eating like royalty for months." He smiled as she tapped on a padd.

"It seems the Alkarians managed to please everyone, and an even taller order pleased the Doctor. He is busy experimenting with samples of the planet's vegetation. Apparently he has found that some of them contain medicinal properties."

"He's experimenting on all of the planet's vegetation?"

"Yes, he was categorising all of the samples while listening to the music of Alka-Prime, in C-minor I think it was."

"He's not testing on the plants that make coffee!" Chakotay wasn't sure if that was a question or an order as he watched Janeway's face take on a look of horror. "He better hadn't be! They produce the best coffee I've ever tasted." She paused for a moment. "Time until we meet up with the away team?"

"Approximately seventy two hours."

"Right...You have the bridge." She said as she rose from her seat.

"You're going to check on the Doctor aren't you?" He chuckled already knowing the answer.

"No just the coffee." She left the bridge leaving Chakotay to watch on his console the retreating image of Alka-Prime 2 and with it their new friends.

-o- -o- -o-

To be continued…


	8. Chapter 8

**Exploratory.**

By

Serena Aris.

Disclaimers: Paramount and other big organisations own Star Trek: Voyager, the ship, its crew and the whole trek universe. I'm just borrowing some of it for a short amount of time.

Pairing codes: Mostly P, 7, Kim and crew.

**Exploratory.**

By

Serena Aris.

**Chapter 8. **

Finally leaving the labyrinth of corridors Paris was seated in the middle of a cylindrical room. On a table as bland and as sterile as the rest of the room lay his combadge and hyper-spanner. A hiss drew him back to the door that he had just entered moments ago. He felt the presence of his two flanking guards as they pressed the nose of their weapons into his back. The alien strolled in with an air of confidence and authority. He looked similar to the two that stood behind him but with subtle differences. It seemed this race had few physical differences and variation that he could see apart from the horns. The official looking alien had a full set of horns with symbols carved into them, where the other two's were plain. Paris immediately thought of them as some sort of rank insignia, he wondered what happened if they ever got demoted.

The newcomer sat across from the human and spoke in its native language. Then it paused when Paris looked confused. "I'm sorry but I don't understand what you're saying." The newcomer/interviewer looked behind him and spoke to the wall. Paris thought that there might be some sort of observation room hidden behind it. It continued with it's conversation with the voice behind the wall then suddenly Paris could understand them.

"...We are sorry Commander we are attempting to decipher the language but it will take some time." Came the voice over some sort of speaker system.

"Try to speed it up." Ordered the Commander who Paris assumed was a male through the deep voice. Paris was contemplating on whether or not to tell them that he could understand them or to continue pretending ignorance. That took a minute - his curiosity won out over being uncooperative and hoped that it would speed up the process of letting him go. And besides he was also bored.

"Hello, Commander is it? My name is Tom Paris." That instantly made him centre of attention.

"How? Our translators are not yet functioning." The Commander was perplexed as far as Tom could tell.

"I think I can answer that Commander...?"

"Base Commander Hamirtan." At least Paris knew that he was on some sort of base, most likely still on the planet he'd crash-landed on. There had been no indication of any type of space-faring vehicle on the way to the planet. _Unless they were more technically advanced and left nothing like an ion trail behind to follow?_ Thought Tom.

"Well Commander Hamirtan that object there..." As he pointed to his combadge his two guards pounced fearing that he was reaching for the spanner to use as a weapon. Paris flinched but luckily for him the Commander had stopped them with a raised hand. "The object is a badge used for translating." Paris would tell them this but forget the fact that it could communicate to _Voyager_ when it arrived.

"Remarkable." He said as he held the gold insignia in his scaly hand. "Our translators take up a whole room." _That answered the more technically advanced question._

"I was trying to use it to speak to the group that attacked me. But as you can see it takes a while to work, evidently longer than they were willing to listen."

"My men believed that you were reaching for a weapon." He said defensively.

"I can understand that, I'd probably stun them and ask questions later too." _I just wish the stun part hadn't hurt so much_, thought Tom. Aloud he said, "so it was all a misunderstanding. You misunderstood me and I misunderstood you, so if that's all I'd like to go back to my ship." He began to rise from his seat.

Heavy hands clamped onto his shoulders and pushed him back down. "Yes, yes all in good time." Said the Commander in a friendly tone that still managed to leave Paris with an unsettling feeling in his stomach. "Once you have answered all of my questions."

"Ok," blew out Paris.

"Why did you come to the planet Voklas?"

"I was curious. I've never seen a planet surrounded by...whatever it is that's coating it." Paris said making sure he made no reference to the rest of the away team, until he knew what the Commander's intentions were. "I guess it didn't agree with my ship and caused it to crash."

"Are you certain it was the surrounding - mass that caused your ship to malfunction?"

"Most likely. I would have to repair my sensors to get a more conclusive answer."

"Was it in the crash that you received your first injury?" Tom looked at him perplexed before the Commander pointed to his head and the trickle of blood that still remained.

"Oh that, yeah. I healed it with my medikit."

"Does all of your species have advanced healing technology?"

"I wouldn't know I'm a long way from home." He said trying to give out as little information as possible while appearing to answer the questions.

"How far away?"

"Try far, the other side of the galaxy. Heard of the planet Earth?" He wondered if he'd take his answer as fact. Hamirtan didn't seem to react at all only ask another question.

"Tell me the specifications of your ship and how I could reproduce your technology."

"It'll be no use to you anyway. Your atmosphere damaged my ship remember." The Commander repeated the question again with impatience lacing his voice. "I can't answer that." That was the sort of question he wouldn't answer or even compromise a half-truth on.

"Can't or won't?" Base Commander Hamirtan leaned in close as he said it. "I'm thinking its won't."

"A bit of both actually." One of the guards struck him on the shoulder with the butt of his weapon. "I'm not exactly regarded as a technician or engineer among my people." He said through clenched teeth.

"I'm also thinking that although you are technically advanced I don't think that your small ship could have survived your long journey alone. That is if you're telling the truth about what we've been talking about." He studied Paris for any indication that he had been correct. However Paris was keeping his features as neutral as possible, his carefree mask slipping on with practised ease as he refused to answer. "You have nothing to say?"

"Only that I came in peace. I don't mean harm to anyone," he said sincerely. The Base Commander made a gruff sound that Tom interpreted as laughter.

"A great many invaders have come in the guise of peace. If you will not answer my questions we have other ways to get the answers I seek." The horned alien produced a file that contained images and scans of Paris - a medical file. "We plan to become very familiar with your species."

Tom understood the underlying threat and suppressed a shudder. "Take him back, let him get settled in his new home." At that he was roughly hauled from his seat and launched out of the room, smashing into the opposite wall of the corridor. A preview of what was to come...

(-/-)

Thanks to everyone that has reviewed the story. It is really appreciated.


	9. Chapter 9

**Exploratory.**

By

Serena Aris.

Disclaimers: Paramount and other big organisations own Star Trek: Voyager, the ship, its crew and the whole trek universe. I'm just borrowing some of it for a short amount of time.

Pairing codes: Mostly P, 7, Kim with crew.

**Exploratory.**

By

Serena Aris.

**Chapter 9. **

He didn't know what time it was, only that he'd had little sleep. The light in his cell hurt his eyes and the room kept spinning, making his stomach want to part with the only food he'd eaten in awhile. The Voklas had performed test after test and after them, some more. Whatever drug cocktail they had given him this time didn't seem to be having the desired effects, which was good for Tom's determination to protect _Voyager_.

After each new dose they continued with the questioning but each time Tom refused to answer. However the bad part for Tom was the after effects of the sessions as they experimented to find the right combination on the unusual human physiology. Tom had fought with every fibre of his being to keep his captors from seeing the effects of their work. It was this battle with his rebelling body that kept his mouth silent - for now. Now he lay exhausted on his bunk, fine tremors rippling through his body. He wiped his sweat glistened brow and clawed his way into a sitting position when he heard the familiar sounds of approaching guards. Tom swayed as he stood and knew that he wouldn't be able to stay silent for long. He couldn't think straight with the drugs and the questions were endless.

"Where is your mothership?" "What is the crew complement?" "What are its defensive capabilities?" "Is it more powerful than the ship you arrived in? And if so by how many factors?" "What are the weaknesses in your technology?"

He took a calming breath as another tremor wracked his body. He was ready for them to march him back to the cylindrical observation room when across the way the occupant stirred. It looked at Paris's wobbling form then down the length of the corridor. It shrieked and clicked and flung itself repeatedly against the glass. Tom was shocked at the so-far passive and quiet humanoid. Then they arrived. The guards looked between the two captors. Then they hesitantly made a decision.

He watched as the two guards went to the opposite cell, typed in a sequence and dragged the blue alien out. It instantly stilled in their grasp and gave Tom a look with its wide eyes. All Tom could do was look on with surprise as the alien took his place. His legs threatened to give out as he slumped against the glass, his body sliding down to the floor. The darkness was beckoning, he had no choice but to remain where he was.

(-/-)

The rays of light peeking through the forest canopy announced the break of day. The air was filled with the twinkling sound of dew being dried off the crisp surfaces of leaves. The jingling was occasionally broken up by the vibrating buzz of the local insect life.

Down on the forest floor beneath the web of tree roots lay the opening to a shallow burrow. It must have once been smaller, time and erosion now making it a suitable shelter for two humanoids. Within the dark came the light rhythmic sounds of breathing. In the cramped earthy space one body lay on the ground, another sat upright, back against the wall.

Although Seven of Nine did not require sleep like humans did, Ensign Kim had insisted on the two of them taking it in turns to keep watch. They would both have equal amounts of time to relax and be alert or sleep in Kim's case. During Seven's turns to remain alert she had analysed and calculated all that she could with the tricorder before she turned her interest to Kim. The concept of sleep intrigued her, especially now that she could study it close up without the crew objecting. So she kept herself busy with her study of sleep. The Doctor had explained to her that humans required sleep to function properly and that dreaming was also an important part of this. She decided that the only way to truly understand it was to experience it herself. She would not be able to achieve it like normal humans because of her Borg components.

It was on her second attempt at sleep that she became aware of the arrival of day and the feel of pressure on her knee. It was Kim's hand that had strayed in his semi-conscious endeavour to get comfortable.

"Ensign Kim leave your regeneration and remove your hand." She ordered with a tone of urgency. To her satisfaction he responded immediately. Rolling over onto his back and away from Seven he tried to blink away his sleepy daze.

"I'm sorry Seven." He said with a yawn. He looked at the Borg and noticed for the first time in the dim light that she was sitting down. He knew that in order to hide she had had no choice in the small space but to sit or lie down, concepts completely alien to the constantly upright race.

Looking up he could feel more than see the ceiling of earth above them. He suddenly felt a wave of claustrophobia and slowly tried to shuffle out. Seven must have felt the same as she crawled to the burrow's entrance while still retaining an aura of grace. As she made her way into the sunlight Kim was able to turn around and follow her out, instead of trying to back his way out. When he was able to stand he saw that Seven was scanning the area and allowed himself to stretch, working out the stiffness from the night on the hard floor.

"I am detecting no sign of the lifesigns I recorded yesterday, within proximity to our position."

"That's good, they must not have seen us. They couldn't find any evidence of us so probably put it down to the local wildlife and gave up looking for intruders that might not exist." Thought Kim out loud. "The problem is that they would have returned to the _Flyer_."

"Therefore we are relatively safe where we are - at a distance from them."

"Yes but that doesn't help us." He said as he started to pace. Seven looked up from her tricorder and stared at him.

"You are planning something. I have learnt that humans can be irrational and governed by their emotions. Your judgement is clouded by your concern for Lieutenant Paris." It was times like this that Harry was reminded that she was not completely human.

"We are going to take back the _Delta Flyer_, repair it, find Tom, beam him on board and then get out of here. We don't leave our people behind." Kim said with an added sense of determination flowing through him. Gathering his bearings he made his way in the direction of the crashed ship.

"The Borg have a similar concept." She said as she matched his stride. "They will make every viable attempt to recover lost drones to reassimilate their knowledge back into the collective." The Ensign thought back to his Academy days when he had heard about the _Starship Enterprise's_ discovery of Third of Five or 'Hugh' in the Argolis Cluster. The drone had been rescued from the wreck of a Borg scoutship in the hopes of making it an unwitting Trojan horse for a fatal overload to occur throughout the collective. The plan had depended on the fact that the Borg would want to reassimilate any surviving drones, however Captain Picard had aborted the plan deeming it unethical. The Borg did return for Hugh.

"The difference is we have compassion for other beings and don't help them for the information or use they might hold for us." Kim shifted the lone phaser out of his pocket and exchanged it with the tricorder.

"I do not fully understand your ways but I will adapt. Do you have a plan to retake the ship? We can not take it by force alone as we are out gunned. The phaser also does not have infinite power resources." Seven said, the closest he would get to an affirmative on his plan.

"First let's get back to a position where we can safely do some surveillance on the _Flyer_." He said hope slowly diminishing slightly as he looked at the lone weapon. "Best case scenario, no one is there. They've looked, studied and left." He ducked to dodge a dangling vine. "And worse case scenario…"

"The armed guards have doubled and troops have been deployed to search for us, using the information they have extracted from Mr Paris."

"Tom would never give out information on our technology or say or do anything that would harm us." He stopped his march to look at her.

"Not willingly."

Kim knew she was right, they didn't know how technically advanced they were or if they were telepathic in some way or that they were even questioning Tom. However he knew that deep down Tom would never betray them in anyway. He didn't want to sit back and theorise what could be happening to Tom, he would think the worst and pray for the best until the three of them were safely onboard _Voyager_. "We won't think about the worse case." His emotions refuelling him he continued on his way, Seven accompanying him in silence.

It had taken them almost an hour to return to the edge of the clearing. It was another hour later when they had watched humanoids emerge from the shuttle. They looked stereotypically like scientists compared to the few disciplined guards patrolling the area. They had counted six guards and four scientists, outnumbering them five to one. Harry had yet to see the guards changing over shifts but he anticipated one soon. Seven had confirmed that the scientists were slowly bringing more of the ship's systems back on-line. They had even refuelled or repaired the ship's low energy reserves. They were either adept at repairing alien ships or making them compatible with their own. Like finding the O blood type donor for the, A, B and AB type bodies.

"If they continue to repair the ship we could wait until the opportune moment to retake it and still remain sufficiently protected inside. We need the shields to help elongate any siege they may attempt." Seven stated, fleshing out some sort of plan.

She was correct. Retaking the ship was one thing, keeping it and evading capture was another. Without shields they were sitting ducks to any attacks to break through the hull or hatches for them to be boarded. It would be just a matter of time and the efficiency of their cutting tools. For now they would wait and hope that the shields were on the aliens' repair list long before the two watchers were discovered.

(/)

To be continued…

Thanks to everyone that has reviewed and still reading the story. I was tempted to cut this chapter in half to just post something but managed to complete it within a decent amount of time.

Reviews, suggestions, ideas, and criticism are all welcome - please try and give some good with the bad! It will lessen the blow! Thanks.


	10. Chapter 10

**Exploratory.**

By

Serena Aris.

Disclaimers: Paramount and other big organisations own Star Trek: Voyager, the ship, its crew and the whole trek universe. I'm just borrowing some of it for a short amount of time.

Pairing codes: Mostly P, 7, Kim with crew.

I'm sorry about the delay on this chapter the assignments have just kept coming but I've finally finished them for now! For fans of the TV series _Angel _there's a few references within this chapter inspired by that much missed show, see if you can spot them! Thanks to everyone that reviewed.

**Exploratory.**

By

Serena Aris.

**Chapter 10. **

He had woken from a feverish dream finding himself still sprawled on the floor by the door. The drug-filled tremors had ebbed away with sleep, leaving behind a dull throb in his head. His mouth was dry and he pushed himself up into a sitting position. As he looked round his eyes locked onto another pair. It was the blue alien from the opposite cell. It must have been returned while Paris was asleep, but not in a good condition. There was evidence of a beating, with its blue marked skin like an oil spill on the sea. Tom was deeply grateful for what it did for him and hope that he could convey that somehow. So he expressed it the only way he knew how, "thank you."

The bluish alien continued its intense stare and tilted its head to the side and then back again. When Paris looked on silently it gave a frustrated expression and made gestures with its hands. As it did it revealed flaps of material, torn from its jump-suit that seemed to be a silver reflective material on the inside and skin blue on the outside. Paris perplexed said, "thank you I'm grateful for what you did." It repeated the gesture again. "Do you want me to keep saying thank you?" He said thinking out loud. _Maybe it's their custom to say it a number of times_ he mused. In Tom's silent pause the gesture became more frantic. "I don't understand what you want." The alien looked pleased and nodded. Then an idea dawned on him, "talking? You want me to carry on talking?" Tom pointed to his mouth as he spoke to which the fellow prisoner nodded.

Starting to lose feeling in the leg twisted awkwardly beneath him, as he was poised between a crawl and a lying down position. Swinging his legs round in front of him he sat cross-legged and focused his attention. "Ok, I'm not quite sure what to say, shockingly for the first time in a long while." He paused, suddenly having an urge to have an answer to the questions that spun inside his head. Due to the language barrier he simply had to swallow that urge and take it slow. Holding a hand to his chest he said, "my name is Tom Paris."

To Tom's surprise the alien spoke, "Kareesh." It did as Paris had before tapping its chest it repeated "Kareesh." It then pointed at Paris and said "Tom Parrees." The voice he decided sounded masculine and he could now put a gender to the alien, unless he later found the species to be genderless.

"Not quite but it will do." Tom said with a grin. "Hello Kareesh," he said pleased with the breakthrough, they now knew each other's name. Looking intently and not receiving any more gestures or words he continued talking. He talked for a long while, about everyday things, things that if overheard would not risk a security issue for _Voyager_ and his friends. Not surprisingly the main bulk of his talk concerned food. Food eaten by the people in his favourite period of time - the twentieth century. Pizza, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, hamburger and fries and a milkshake, 'comfort food' he had told Neelix one day as a hint for the cook to produce something similar as a meal. The result was far from comfortable for Paris, especially where the main ingredient was leola root. All the talk of food made his stomach rumble and with his mouth so dry he had to stop for a drink. Slowly making his way to the wall where the water trough was positioned he took a tentative sip from his cupped hand before drinking further. It tasted ok and as he continued drinking he instantly felt better as the water ran down his parched mouth and throat. He continued drinking, slowly losing the 'furry feel' from his tongue and quenching his thirst. He was just wiping away the stray drops of water from around his mouth when he heard something. "Excuse me?" He said in surprise as he turned to face the sound.

"You're welcome." Paris stood there, mouth open. "Do you understand me?" The words spoken in his native language was unexpected without the use of the universal translator. The way the being implored him with his eyes snapped Paris out of his trance.

"Yes. I can understand you, but how?"

"My race are a very quick study especially at languages." Paris chuckled, earning an inquiring look from Kareesh.

"I'm sorry, I was just remembering an ancient myth on my planet." When his companion still looked interested Tom continued. "It was said that some sea creatures could mimic the voices of sailors and lure them into the sea."

"Interesting, I hope to hear more about your culture," he said sincerely. Paris' injured leg began to feel stiff so he started to pace his cell, hoping to restore circulation to it.

"As I do yours. How long have you been here?"

"I am not completely certain, there is no real concept of time without the use of windows. However judging by the block's 'light-out' routine… I lost count after 300 'days'."

_I guess we'll be learning a lot about each other_ thought Tom, out loud he said "how did you end up here?"

"My ship was just passing through on our way home when we noticed this anomaly. When we got closer to investigate, the ship must have attracted an ion storm from the atmosphere and we crashed. My co-pilot died instantly I was the only survivor." Kareesh said the last sentence in a whisper, grief taking his ability to say it.

"I'm sorry." Kareesh nodded in acknowledgement and the two took a moment' pause. Tom thought about his own friends, stranded on this planet and he worried about them. He dared to not even hypothesise what could be happening with them. Then before he had chance to push the thought away Caldik Prime surfaced. Taking a deep cleansing breath he pushed it back down, but it was never deep enough.

"What happened to you?" Tom was glad of the question and the attention he could fully divert to it. Although he felt he could trust Kareesh, his surroundings he could not so he would adapt the truth.

"I made a detour hoping to find fuel and any other useful resources. I came within orbit of this planet and there must have been a storm, which knocked all of my systems off-line, and I crashed. Luckily I was able to get the engines back on for a few seconds enabling me to perform an emergency landing. This was my welcome party." He said gesturing around him.

"Did you say a storm caused you to crash?" Kareesh asked leaning forward.

"Yes an ion storm…wait it happened to you too…that means…" Tom said coming to his own conclusion.

"…That two points make a line, not a pattern. Its something to consider, if our fellow captives also experienced this storm then that will tell us if what happened to us was natural or artificial."

"Well they don't seem to want us here, being so xenophobic in nature it seems." He said remembering his treatment in the circular room previously. "Lab rats come to mind." At the perplexed look in return Paris shrugged saying "sorry native Earth phrase."

"I understand, but before we continue any more discussions explain to me one thing…what is pizza?"

To be continued…


	11. Chapter 11

**Exploratory.**

By

Serena Aris.

Disclaimers: Paramount and other big organisations own Star Trek: Voyager, the ship, its crew and the whole trek universe. I'm just borrowing some of it for a short amount of time.

Pairing codes: Mostly P, 7, Kim with the rest of the crew later on.

Sorry for the delay in this chapter it was that time of year again - exams and deadlines!

**Exploratory.**

By

Serena Aris.

**Chapter 11. **

The explanation to Kareesh about pizza was short-lived. Two armed guards had marched down the block of cells and quickly escorted Paris to the cylindrical room. As before with the chemical experiments he was restrained to a chair in front of Base Commander Hamirtan. "Welcome back Mr Paris," he said while flipping through the medical file on Tom. Although Paris expected his captors to have their own translators working by now he hadn't factored Hamirtan wearing his combadge. He just hoped that no one from the_ Delta Flyer _or _Voyager_ tried to contact him while his warden wore it.

"I want to say that it's nice to see you again but I wouldn't want to lie," Paris said dripping with sarcasm.

"I see that the truth drug treatments haven't effected your attitude. Looking at your file it seems that your physiology broke down the elements of the chemicals fairly quickly and didn't have the desired effect other than cause you discomfort. My scientists are eager to see how your body reacts to more frequent doses or more concentrated versions." Tom swallowed hard and hoped Hamirtan didn't notice. "I told them that at the moment the risks were too great to compromise my mission in gaining the information I seek…However that could soon change."

"Gee thanks for your consideration for my health," spat Paris who received a feral grin from Hamirtan when the nearby guard struck him in the stomach. Doubling over as far as the chair would allow, Tom gasped in quick shallow breaths.

While Tom struggled to breathe Hamirtan continued, "as I was saying, my scientists although prevented from further chemical tests because of the unknown effects, have discovered an alternative, pain. It seems that your physiology makes your species sensitive to a variety of stimuli such as temperature and touch, which is routed through a central nervous system. They also believe that sensory deprivation could allow me to get the required results…It always intrigues me how much information scientists can get from a few scans and still have the urge to explore, experiment and dissect a being."

Finally getting his breathing back to normal, Tom had seen his interrogator's sincerity at the implied threat. Paris had been wearing a mask of indifference, which had momentarily slipped at the idea of being cut open to see how his insides worked. Hamirtan seemed to be allowing that hint to sink in before he continued.

"Through a recent discovery, we have found an answer to one of my questions. We know that you are not alone."

_No!_ Tom mentally screamed. His heart leapt and his thoughts raced to Kim and Seven. _They've been discovered and dissected._ He looked to the door expecting them to be dragged in at any moment.

"We were able to intercept a communiqué from your ship to another called _Voyager_." Tom's panic abated somewhat, his friends were still free. "The entire message was voice-only and according to our translators, contained some kind of distress-call."

Paris then remembered that it was Harry who had sent the initial message. He hoped that he used a pre-recorded message and not one that would reveal that Harry was on this planet.

"It was this next discovery that made us conclude that you had a mothership out there somewhere and were not just sending out a general distress call. On closer inspection of your vessel we have also discovered the source of an automated distress signal, specifically addressed to _Voyager_. We disconnected it. Anticipating the arrival of _Voyager_ my team is studying, stripping and assimilating your technology into our own." The idea of this sent a chill up Tom's spine, on more than one level.

"I am willing to spare the lives of your shipmates if we have your co-operation." Hamirtan said as he made himself eye-level with Paris in an attempt to connect or appeal to the human's sense of logic. "If you don't tell me what I need to know it will only lead to a lengthy, bloody conflict where many lives will be lost on both sides." When Tom lowered his eyes the Commander paused to let him mull it over. The human however sat up straighter and glared at him defiantly. "Of course your ship is just one against a planet and will fall to superior firepower, that is if you're worth the effort to rescue," he chuckled.

"If I'm not worth the effort to be rescued, then I guess you've got nothing to worry about from them." Paris said smugly, which earned him a punch to the face. The force knocked him back and felt as though it had disconnected his head. As his mind rattled round, something was stabbed into his neck, making him cry out both in pain and surprise. Hamirtan spun in front of him before then splitting in two and then those clones were kaleidoscoping before him. He tried to focus but suddenly lurched to the side as though physically slammed from the side. His world upheaved again and he felt a vice-like grip to his head before he was again punctured in the neck. As more chemicals pumped around his body his heart raced and thudded against his chest.

"Your ship has shield capability, what is the shield variance of _Voyager_?"

"I don't know, I'm a pilot not an engineer," he panted. Several blows rained down on him and he tasted blood in his mouth.

"We've seen what you did to the ship and watched you make repairs. Don't lie, it will cause you more pain. Let's try another question, what is the crew complement of _Voyager_?"

"It's our home so of course the crew have nothing but praise for her," he replied laughing hysterically at his joke. He looked at the heavy-set guard by him through glazed eyes.

The guard glared at him blankly before looking to Hamirtan. "He thought we meant _compliment_ or he was just being smart?" The Base Commander contemplated for a moment then gave a shrug to the guard who proceeded to pummel Paris. A few punches later and it was stopped by a wave of Hamirtan's hand. "I hope your willing to be more co-operative now," he said as he looked at the bleeding man who's drooping head rested on his chest. "I don't think that you'd like it if I allowed my colleague to test his toys on you - they're shocking," he continued. Tom didn't want to know what these toys were but he had a feeling that he was going to find out. "On the ship we are studying we have come across a device that transports matter from one location to another. Can you help us adapt it into our own technology?"

"I'm not an engineer, my skills are very basic," he said quickly to save himself from another beating. "That sort of complicated technology I leave to the experts. I haven't seen any of yours to know if it would be compatible with the power sources or systems." They seemed to buy his answer, although it was partly true - he wouldn't want to mess with something that could scatter your molecules.

"Ok, what is the power source of _Voyager_?"

"Its not the same as the ship I came in, that one's less advanced." He took shallow breaths to look like he needed to catch his breath while he thought about his reply. "_Voyager_ uses water." _Where did that come from?_ thought Tom.

"Water?"

_I'm just as surprised as you are, maybe its because I'm thirsty?_ Out loud he said, "Yeah, our planet is mostly water so somebody came up with the idea to harness power from water." Tom felt like the room had grown hotter.

"He's lying," said the guard. Hamirtan also looked suspicious.

"Maybe I am?" Paris hoped that no matter what he said it couldn't be held as fact. He felt exhausted and usually it wasn't this difficult to use his imagination or think for that matter. Before he had time to react, a circular chrome device was slammed into his stomach and pain erupted throughout his body. He convulsed in shock and strained against the bonds that held him. Then after an eternity it was over.

"Were you giving us misinformation?" Hamirtan hissed into Paris' ear.

Tom's body trembled and his breaths were shallow and raspy. It took several big, shaky breaths before he attempted to speak. "Y…y…you'll never know," he said with conviction.

"I hope that the rest of your kind are not as stubborn." To the guard he said, "give him another dose."

It was jabbed into his neck and he cried out in pain as almost immediately his body reacted to the foreign elements circulating it. His heart rate increased and his chest tightened. Tom's lungs heaved, fighting to supply the exerted body with oxygen. He felt like he'd just run a marathon as sweat glistened his brow.

"I think we've found the right dosage," said the guard, looking at the pale and trembling man. Hamirtan nodded and moved in front of Paris.

"Where are the most strategic points to attack your defences, what are the ship's weaknesses?"

For a long moment Paris didn't answer. His heart felt like it was going to burst through his chest and he grimaced in pain. The question was repeated and this time it cut through the haze. A powerful urge alarmed him, it was the desire to tell them the truth. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. A part of him still resisted.

"Again, what are your ship's weaknesses?"

_Come on Paris, where's that endless rebellious nature of yours._ "If we knew what our weaknesses were, we wouldn't have any."

Hamirtan gave a roar of frustration then gave a nod to his guard accomplice. Once again he was prodded with the electrical chrome device. Thousands of volts lashed through his body. His uniform was singed from contact with it and his scream was cut short when their was no breath to propel it. The assault ended but a new pain remained, aching and hollow in his being. Everything faded away into nothing, when his heart stopped.

To be continued…

If you want to see Paris live its up to you. The more reviews I get the better the chance of his survival. It's not blackmail…its creative motivation! LOL.


	12. Chapter 12

**Exploratory.**

By

Serena Aris.

Disclaimers: Paramount and other big organisations own Star Trek: Voyager, the ship, its crew and the whole trek universe. I'm just borrowing some of it for a short amount of time.

Pairing codes: Mostly P, 7, Kim with the rest of the crew later on.

Notes - Contains references from the book _Pathways_ by Jeri Taylor, co-creator of Voyager.

**Exploratory.**

By

Serena Aris.

**Chapter 12. **

Between the two of them they had maintained constant surveillance on the progress of repairs on the _Delta Flyer_. It had been hours ago when Harry had noticed that the alien scientists had severed the distress signal to _Voyager._ Shortly after that they had discovered the transporters. Test barrels randomly appeared and then disappeared with nearby scientists jotting down notes and watching with fascination as the barrels' molecules dematerialised then reformed like magic. On their first experiment the scientists outside the _Flyer_ had leapt back in surprise when an object appeared in front of them. Seven had noted that it was probably their first encounter with transporter technology like they had seen with most Delta Quadrant natives. But with the speed in which the aliens reconnected, by-passed and repaired the _Flyer'_s systems they were obviously familiar with alien technology.

Seven and Harry had observed that the scientists were unarmed, while the six guards were not and each had several types of weapons adorning their bodies. The _Voyager_ pair's lone phaser would be no match against the aliens' superior firepower. With the _Flyer'_s repairs rapidly nearing completion time was counting down to a deadline that when it ran out, it would be too late to retake the ship. Once the shields were repaired to an operational standard they would have to quickly find an opportune moment and act on it.

"It appears that the humanoids are now working on the shields," reported Seven as she read the incoming results from the tricorder.

"We are going to need an effective plan for us to get past six armed guards and four scientists, unharmed," said Harry.

"Indeed. We need to do so quickly, they have initialised a field at two percent yield."

Harry's mind raced, they needed a plan. Every time he thought he had a viable idea it came down to six heavily armed military forms against one phaser.

"The shields are at four percent and rising."

Nerves made his mouth dry and he looked around quickly for any of the leaves holding puddles of dew, which they had been using to keep themselves hydrated. None were immediately apparent, it was too late in the day for moisture to collect on the vegetation. He took calming breaths and repeated a positive mental mantra. He hoped that if he cleared his mind, inspiration would strike. Then their look changed. Three of the guards left their posts, entered one of the transport vehicles they had arrived in and were soon gone.

"It seems that our odds have improved. They do not believe that there is anyone else out here. Six percent yield," said Seven of Nine as her gaze shifted from the crash site and back to her tricorder.

"We've missed our chance to find Tom, we could have followed their transport!" Cried Harry at the still unknown condition of his friend.

"We would have to pursue the vehicle on foot and would soon lose sight of it due to its superior speed. Your plan was flawed. The logical course of action is to retake the ship and find Lt. Paris with its sensors."

Harry looked like he was going to argue further but seemed to deflate. "You're right Seven. Its just so frustrating not being able to do anything!"

"The _Delta Flyer_'s shields are at fifteen percent. If we retake the ship now we would have sufficient energy reserves to power the shields or continue to use their portable power device." Seven said giving him the go-ahead to do something, to create a plan to take back their ship. "However I should point out that there are three guards and four scientists, while we are only two and have but one weapon." Kim continued to mull it over while the shields' systems steadily regained in strength.

"I've got an idea," he said as he took both the tricorders and tapped information into them before returning one back to Seven. She looked at the device and raised an eyebrow in Kim's direction. "You can get past our shields, right?"

She gestured to her tricorder and nodded. "I know our shield variances, well."

"Good. When its clear of guards its up to you to take over the _Delta Flyer_, you can easily stun the scientists with your aim." He said, referring to the target practice she did with the Captain. "Leave the guards to me."

"How will you deal with the guards?" She asked to thin air as he was already up and creeping away. Holstering her tricorder after activating the Maquis dampening-field trick again, she gripped the phaser and moved towards the _Flyer_ in the opposite direction to Kim.

Harry had positioned himself parallel to the _Flyer_ while still heavily hidden by the undergrowth. He was also behind one of the guards and equal distances between both of the other two. For this to work he would need all of their attention on him, so Seven could slip past them. He glanced to his left and saw that Seven was in position and looking at him to see what he would do. He checked his tricorder to make sure it was easily accessible and securely fastened at his side before rummaging around in the dirt beneath him.

Finding what he was looking for he stood up and braced himself. In quick succession he launched a stone at each of the guards. All three turned to see where they had come from and instantly saw Harry. He turned and ran, constantly looking back to see what the guards were doing. One tried to take aim at Kim but the forest blocked his view, he stood looking around the site while the other two followed Harry. With a head start Harry spared himself a moment to watch the two guards scramble up the steep slope, the other guard continued making shots at him. He hoped Seven could handle the one guard before he continued his way into the deep vegetation.

His plan was working, two guards were pursuing him. Running wasn't Kim's best suit but he had had a head start and no hill to climb. He remembered back to his time as a cadet when his prep squad officer Commander Nimembeh had ordered him in full uniform and boots, around the track twenty times on a blistering summer day. It wasn't easy and although he didn't complete all twenty he'd had blisters like golf balls. This situation was surprisingly less frightening to Kim than Nimembeh and now he understood why he was so harsh to his cadets. Hurdling a cluster of tree roots, he instantly ducked when a weapon blast hit the nearby tree showering him in splinters. He fell to the ground but immediately scrabbled on all fours for traction before getting upright again and changing direction. Picking up speed and running at full pelt he couldn't help but hope that these guards hadn't had such a good prep squad officer.

( /\ )

It had been a peaceful two days on _Voyager_ and morale was still high. _Voyager_ was in fine physical form, almost as new as the day it was launched from the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards. And Chief Engineer B'Elanna Torres couldn't be happier. Finally she was able to do those fine-tuning projects she'd never been able to get around to doing, usually because just keeping the ship together was the main priority.

Now sitting in one of the jefferies tubes above engineering, access panel and a full toolbox within easy reach Torres felt at her most creative. She loved the challenge of trying to coax more power or efficiency out of systems already at their peak. She could have done her work in main engineering but here she had no distractions and only the rhythmic hum of the ship's blood pumping throughout its systems for company. She closed her eyes and took a deep, steady breath to hone her senses into the task at hand. First she had to scan the system for any problems that might have been brought on by the Captain allowing the helmsman to 'go wild' at the conn.

It seemed _Voyager _had escaped unscathed from the pilot's exuberant testing. The engineer in her disapproved at the potential harm to her engines, while the girlfriend part sighed. It was a shame that Tom had missed out on the chance to be 'let loose' at the helm. She could imagine his face lighting up at the prospect, he would have enjoyed it and so she decided not to tell him about it. She sighed, she had missed his company the last few days, especially since she had so much free time, although she probably wouldn't admit this to him. B'Elanna closed her tricorder and exchanged it for another tool and continued with her work, she would be reunited with her helmboy soon enough.

On the bridge of _Voyager_ the Ops console flashed. Harry Kim's shift replacement called from her station, "Captain, I'm receiving a distress call."

The Captain and Chakotay both turned in their seats. "Do you have a location?" asked the Commander.

"The signal originated from within this system…it is coming from the fifth planet." The Captain looked to Chakotay, an unspoken thought passed between them.

"Captain, that is the planet where the away team's warp trail leads to" reported Tuvok.

"I know," the Captain said almost to herself.

"The signal has stopped," reported Ops. "We must have caught one of the last cycles."

"Did you download the message?" asked the Captain with a tone of urgency in her voice.

"Yes. I'm analysing it now…" She continued tapping and concentrating on the information contained on the console. "It's a standard automated distress message…I'm sorry but I can't accurately say how old it is, its maybe been a few hours ago since the signal stopped…" She stopped, frowned then double-checked her results. Her head rose and several sets of eyes searched hers. "It's a Federation signal…It's from the _Delta Flyer_."

To be continued…

Please review, it keeps me typing! Anything will do, good, criticism, ideas, bad (not too bad, don't make me cry. lol) its all welcome.

Thank you to all those that have reviewed.


	13. Chapter 13

**Exploratory.**

By

Serena Aris.

Disclaimers: Paramount and other big organisations own Star Trek: Voyager, the ship, its crew and the whole Trek universe. I'm just borrowing some of it for a short amount of time.

Pairing codes: Mostly P, 7, Kim, with the rest of the crew later on.

Notes - Contains references from the book _Pathways_ by Jeri Taylor, co-creator of Voyager.

_Here's chapter 13 at last! Sorry about the delay, had lots and lots of essays to write. This chapter is extra long to make up for it and to bide us over until chapter 14 is posted, as I still have lots more essays to write! Thanks for your patience and please review._

**Exploratory.**

By

Serena Aris.

**Chapter 13. **

Silence. Its presence ripped through the room, dragging life and thought and movement along with it. The void was shattered by the ragged breaths and two rapid sets of heartbeats, where there should have been three. Their desperate quest for information had caused the human's body to crumble under the strain. Their plan to make the prisoner talk had backfired.

Now with the alien's death, their questions would remain unanswered, his secrets taken to the grave with him. The hot, white silence seared the Commander's soul. In the quiet, the inner voices of doubt, fear and paranoia were able to penetrate and take hold of his conscious mind. He had failed to obtain any tactical information from the alien and now his world was open and vulnerable to attack. They had no idea how to defend themselves effectively against this mysterious new alien ship. From the scientist's reports from the crash site, the mother ship could have the power to decimate a continent. Base Commander Hamirtan was put in charge of this secret defence organisation to save the people of Voklas from the threat of outer space and the destruction of chaos and panic. For a hundred years the organisation had defended the planet and Hamirtan's predecessors had had successful careers, he would not be the one that tarnished that gleaming lineage. He would get useful information from Paris one way or the other; it would just mean less in quantity with his death. Then the silent, vacuum bubble popped.

"Get a medical team in here now!" Screamed Hamirtan, Paris had now been dead for a few seconds. More seconds ticked by before the team raced in with some sort of gurney. Tom's lifeless body was finally released from the chair that restrained him. He flopped forward into the ready hands of the medics, who hastily grabbed him and slapped his body onto the gurney. Hamirtan and his guard had retreated towards the back of the room as the Doctor and assistants desperately tried to save the human.

Scanning devices buzzed and whirred about the body. Two medics hastily applied numerous sensors to Paris's head and body while another connected them to a monitoring unit. "His systems have shutdown. No breath or heart signs," shouted one nurse above the chaos. Needles were thrust into Paris and chemicals blasted into his system.

"Still no life signs!" shouted another.

"I'm reading brain activity but it's in rapid decline," reported the nurse at the mobile monitoring unit.

"Doctor Hipcroz, I've inserted the oxygen tube through his chest below the breastplate and into the lungs. They are successfully inflating." Reported another medic as Paris's chest manually rose up as his lungs filled with air. "Now deflating…"

Using a portable listening device Doctor Hipcroz checked the tube was positioned correctly. "Good. Let's see if it has any effect." The room was relatively still while they waited to see if Tom's body reacted to a new supply of oxygen, but the only movement was the rise and fall of his chest.

"Suspend!" Ordered the Doctor and the medics stopped instantly. "His heart's still not beating." He took his clenched fist and rammed it into the human's chest. Tom's body lifted from the table momentarily from the force of the blow. "Report!"

"His heart jolted for a moment. Trying compressions." They attempted cardio-pulmonary resuscitation but achieved no results. The medics looked defeated.

"Try something else! Use prototype 215 on him again," cried Hamirtan desperately, indicating the chrome device.

"That caused his body to fail in the first place." The Doctor said between compressions. He took a moment to swab his sweat drenched brow. He looked thoughtful then said, "Suspend all medical care." He was obeyed instantly and made his way to the nearby medical supplies.

"What! I give the commands around here, so continue," said Hamirtan who received a look from the Doctor, who had retrieved a long, sharp metallic device. The room watched in silent wonder as Hipcroz checked the thick needle. He then placed a liquid vial into the blunt end of it, there was a hiss and half the contents loaded into the needle. Positioning himself over Tom's torso, the Doctor brought the implement level with his head before stabbing it into Paris's chest. It pierced his heart and flooded it with the chemical from the vial. When the liquid disappeared into his body, the Doctor quickly withdrew it and instantly the room came alive when Tom's body arced off the table. The medics leapt into action. Holding down his spasming and convulsing body they began feeding oxygen directly into his lungs through the inserted tube.

Other medics were giving the human's heart a helping hand until they were stopped by one medic who was monitoring his status. "We've got a rhythm! His heart is beating on its own." Hamirtan looked relieved, but Paris was not out of danger.

Doctor Hipcroz checked Tom's vitals were getting stronger before testing if he was ready to breathe on his own. He slowly made preparations to remove the oxygen tube that went through his rib cage and into his lungs. Suddenly alarms began to ring, startling only Hamirtan and the guard at the back of the room. The Commander shouted out concerned, but was ignored by the preoccupied medics.

"His levels are rising and brain activity is increasing…he's regaining consciousness," reported one medic hovering over the scanners.

"We need that oxygen tube out now!" ordered the Doctor. It was deftly removed from Tom's lungs just as he took a gasping, spluttering breath that would have caused the tube to rip through the delicate organ. "He's a survivor. I wasn't expecting him to regain consciousness so soon after such trauma." The human's chest heaved under its own reluctant power and the Doctor gently sterilised the insertion wound and applied a bandage.

"Will he recover?" asked Hamirtan, in the now less chaotic atmosphere that had become a steady hum.

"It's hard to tell, there's so much we don't know about his species," replied the Doctor. The subject in question shifted slightly and made a small groan as he clawed his way back to consciousness. The Doctor noticed Hamirtan's intense gaze in Paris's direction. "It'll take time before we will know how much damage he has sustained…and if he will fully recover."

"Time is the one thing we don't have. Will he be able to answer our questions?"

"I wouldn't recommend it; he needs time to heal…"

"I'll take it under advisement, Doctor. When he's able, transport him back to his cell, I'll allow him an hour to recover before resuming the interrogation," said the Commander.

"It could kill him! It was far too close this time, the next time we might not be so lucky. Then you'll get no answers," said Hipcroz.

"That's none of your concern. Your job is to fix him enough for me to get what I need from him," hissed Hamirtan.

Paris gasped, and then eventually opened an eyelid to reveal an unseeing eye. Doctor Hipcroz shone a light into the blue orb and it tried to recoil away but couldn't escape the light until he stopped and repeated the process with the other eye. Voices of those around him seemed muffled like sound was passing through cotton wool. They slowly seemed to fade into the distance and then a moment later he descended into an exhausted slumber.

"His pupils reacted, that's a good sign. He appears to be stable for now," reported Hipcroz. He gave a few orders to his medical team who were finishing collecting their supplies and tidying up and who one by one eventually left the room. The space seemed vast now that the many medics had vacated it, leaving behind Hipcroz, Hamirtan and the guard.

"Good work, Doctor," said Hamirtan, as the man he directed the comment to, made final checks on Paris and removed the majority of sensors adorning his head and body. "If he remains unconscious in about an hour's time, what can you do to make him alert enough to answer my questions?"

Looking over the puncture wound directly above Tom's heart, Hipcroz wiped away the blood that was weeping from it before quickly binding it with an adhesive dressing. He then proceeded to wash away any other remains of blood and sterilise Paris's body as he replied to Hamirtan's question. "There are a few things I can try. I'll start off by trying to shake him away, then pain and then eventually work my way up to chemical intervention. But only if absolutely necessary."

Before Hamirtan could comment he was interrupted by the arrival of a young military officer. "Base Commander, I have news from the crash site." He said stiff-backed and to attention.

"Report."

"A bipedal appearing to be of similar species and wearing the same uniform as the subject here," he said indicating Paris, "engaged the guards then fled into the forest. They are in pursuit, but he is proving hard to track. Request permission to send more personnel to assist the search team, sir."

Hamirtan eyed Paris's prone form. "Take every available military officer, except for a skeleton unit. I want a perimeter set up and I want it apprehended before it reaches any nearby populated zones. Hadenk, I want you to co-ordinate their efforts." The guard left his position from Hamirtan's side saying 'yes sir' in acknowledgement as he took the messenger with him as he left the room.

"I wonder what else he lied about." The Commander said to himself. "At least when we do capture the other, you can keep one as a test subject. He, who breaks first, wins." He returned his attention back to the human. "It's a shame Hipcroz, that you wasted time and effort to keep him alive, when we may not need him after all."

"Who's to say the other one will talk to us? It could just be as stubborn as this one."

"Then we'll make an example of one of them, the other will soon talk. If not, whoever is in worst shape is yours to examine." He leaned over Paris, studying him. "Can you create a bio-weapon against this species?"

"It'll take time and numerous tests. We'll have to analyse right down to the molecular level, to make sure that what we create can't affect our population in any way. It will be a case of trial and error, what we come up with, they could have already have built up an immunity to or have a cure for," explained the Doctor. "We could try the biological agents we developed for the other species in our care, as a starting point. See what has an effect, and then develop it from there."

Hamirtan moved around the gurney where Paris lay, like a predator stalking its prey. "So it seems that medically speaking, you are going to get to know a lot about this species by the time we're through." He paused to watch Hipcroz remove his bloodied gloves and garments. "How often do you get to see two of the same race?" The Doctor shrugged in agreement as he attempted to scrub the splashes of Paris's blood from his hands and arms. Hamirtan continued, "We don't come across many groups of space travellers and as you know, most don't survive the crash landings. You will be able to put your live dissection techniques to good practice with one lucky nominee. It's certainly been a while since you last got to practice."

The Commander stopped prowling and looked Paris up and down. Noticing a corner coming loose on one of the adhesive bandages, he reapplied it with pressure. When he removed his thick, scaly hand from the dressing it detoured towards the spot directly above his heart and rested there. He could feel the steady thump of Tom's heart through the human's smooth skin, reassured that it wasn't going to stop any time soon he removed his hand.

"He's a fighter, isn't he?" said Hamirtan rhetorically. "No one else lasted this long."

"I guess no one else had as much to lose, with a ship in the vicinity looking for him," said Hipcroz.

"Had I the time, I would have enjoyed breaking him."

"How do you know that you haven't?" At that Hamirtan turned to face Hipcroz. "He could awaken from this ordeal and tell you everything you need to know and more. Being reminded of one's mortality tends to have that effect." Hamirtan perked at that thought.

"In that case, I can't wait until he wakes up. Once you're done with him, transport him back to his cell. I will still allow him one hour to recover, hopefully by then he'll have company. Start your work on the bio-weapon and run what ever tests are necessary, but if they are life threatening wait until we have the other one." Hamirtan ordered a plan in motion.

"Yes, sir." With that Hamirtan left the prisoner in the Doctor's care, while he went to find out the status of the alien fugitive's capture.

Satisfied that his patient was stable and that his vitals were strong enough, the Doctor was ready to release him back to his cell. Moving to a control panel near the door he accessed communications and called for an available medic to retrieve Paris. A moment later a medic entered the room.

"Ah Suninn, thank you for being prompt. I need you to take him back to his cell." The Doctor detached all the sensors linked to the mobile monitoring unit and took out a disc, small enough to fit into the palm of his hand. He activated it and then placed it on Tom's chest, above his heart. Suninn moved over to the monitoring unit.

"Receiving scans…heart signs are good. The sensor's battery is reading at two hours duration only." The medic said, looking towards Hipcroz.

"That's more than enough; we only need an hour's worth of power. It's just in case of a relapse." The medic moved over to the gurney, ready to push it out. "Wait a moment; I need blood samples for the tests."

A few minutes later and Doctor Hipcroz had filled several small vials with the human's blood. He could run numerous tests on the samples until Hamirtan was ready to hand over one of the humans for him to use instead. Indicating that he was now finished, Suninn and the unconscious Paris preceded Hipcroz out of the room. While Suninn turned left, the Doctor went right hastily making his way to the lab with the samples clutched in his hand.

It had taken Suninn five minutes to navigate the gurney through the corridors to the cellblock. The military officer standing guard outside the entrance to the block nodded in greeting to the medic before standing aside to let him through. Giving an extra push to get the gurney over the lip of the doorway, the slap of the wheels on the cold, smooth floor drew the attention of the inmates. The noise level in the block grew, escaping out into the hall, until the door hissed shut behind them sealing it in. As Suninn made his way down the cellblock, the occupied cell's doorways shadowed with curious prisoners. While a few continued to watch fascinated, many turned away, but the noise level remained the same, a multilingual protest.

The gurney finally stopped when Suninn made his way around it to enter the access code to Paris's cell, all while under the watchful glare of Kareesh. The door slid open with a scrap and the medic grabbed the end of the gurney and pulled. Suninn shuffled backwards dragging the trolley into the cell with him. He stopped when his back hit the wall and then moved alongside it to apply the brake. Rising from the base of the gurney, a kick to the throat sent him hurtling into the opposite wall.

Paris swung his legs the rest of the way off the gurney and stood. Immediately he crumpled to the floor. He landed hard, but was able to turn slightly, his leg taking the full brunt of his weight and brought up his arm up in time to protect his face. His injured thigh throbbed painfully beneath its bandage and his chest felt like it was gripped in a vice. He was vaguely aware of Kareesh calling his name but couldn't catch his breath and started to gasp. Panic set in compounded by his vision going black like an eclipse across the sun. The room span and he could feel his face growing hot and clammy, he tried to sit up but his head was so heavy, he was powerless to stop his body's slow motion tilt back to the floor. Feeling the cool stone against his cheek, his wheezy breaths slowly relaxed with the eventual realisation that he could fall no further. His brain orientated itself, the laws of gravity and physics were no longer in reverse and he could recognise that he was horizontal and needed to move upwards. Taking a deep breath he shakily pulled himself upright.

Fortunately for Tom, the medic remained slumped by the wall. Paris waited for the pounding in his head to ebb and for the vertigo to pass before he found his bearings and crawled towards the unconscious form and checked that he was still alive. Seeing the blinking of the sensor attached to his chest from the edge of his vision, Tom felt around it before ripping it from his skin. He noticed the light stop so he then applied the device to the medic's chest and watched as it continued to rhythmically flash as it did on his own. The medic made a soft groan as Tom rummaged through his pockets for anything of use. "For your sake, stay unconscious," his lack of voice startled him and he tried to clear his throat just as he discovered a medical scanner and placed it into his own pocket. Scrambling towards the gurney, he used it for support and dragged himself to his feet, and then staggered and swayed like a newborn lamb towards the opposite cell.

"Are you well?" asked Kareesh concerned as he took in Tom's unsteady gait and the blue tint to his pale face. Bandages with surrounding bruising were glimpsed beneath his shredded clothing. Tom eventually replied, once he reached the cell door.

"Better than I will be in an hour," he said cryptically with a croak and an attempted smile. He then went to work on the cell's security panel, tapping in the code he's seen the guards use. The door slid open and Kareesh stepped out.

"Get out of here, yes?"

"Yes" said Tom who brought the medical scanner out of his pocket and attempted to activate it. Kareesh slipped into Tom's cell and began dismantling the gurney. He left the cell clutching a metal bar then closed the door behind him. The blue alien watched as the human moved the device around trying to decipher its readings and controls.

"Parees, are you ready?" He said hefting the metal bar and slowly inching his way down the corridor. Tom followed but paused by the next occupied cell to type in the access code he'd used on Kareesh's cell. The inmate watched him eagerly but when Paris pressed the final command, nothing happened. He tried again but got the same result.

"Damnit! Each cell must have individual codes." Tom slammed the panel with his fist, which was when Kareesh took him by the arm. He could only say "sorry" to the fellow captive as he was pulled down the block. By the time they had reached the end of the block, the noise level had risen with the inmates starting to notice what was happening.

Paris leaned against the wall by the cellblock door as he pulled out the medical scanner. "I'm reading at least one life sign beyond this door. However I'm uncertain as to the range of this device and its capability to read through walls."

"One guard." Kareesh said with confidence and an unwavering gaze. He readied himself and his weapon for attack.

Tom took a deep breath and then let it out to calm his nerves. "Ok," he hovered his hand over the cellblock door's access panel and nodded to Kareesh. When he got a nod in reply Paris pushed the button. The door slid open with a pneumatic whoosh; the guard had his back to the door. Kareesh stepped out and lifted the bar above his head. The guard never turned, expecting it to be Suninn. One blow to the back of the head and neck was all it took to make him crumple to the floor unconscious, to be sure Kareesh struck him again before trading the bar for the guard's hand gun. As Paris looked around for any approaching base personnel, Kareesh hastily checked about the guard's body for anything of use, he found nothing. Grasping the guard by the back of his uniform, Kareesh was then joined by Tom who helped him to manoeuvre the stricken form into the cellblock. Tom then retrieved the metal bar before following Kareesh out and locking the door behind them. The blue alien noticed it at Tom's side and gave a questioning look. "We're going to need more than one weapon."

Kareesh took another look at the bar and then to the man holding it. He snatched it from Tom's grip, eliciting a yelp of surprise and shoved the gun into his hand instead. "Your aim has to be better than mine," he said as a way of an explanation.

Tom wiped his brow with his arm then tossed the medical scanner to his companion. "Then you'll need this," Tom watched as Kareesh activated the device to scan then he moved in front to take the lead. "Which way?"

"Go right, I'm not reading any life signs that way."

Tom headed in that direction, leading the way with his newly acquired weapon primed and ready. As they circumnavigated corridor after corridor without incident, Tom was beginning to believe that when Hamirtan said to leave only a skeleton unit to man the base, he meant it. While that was good for them, it meant trouble for Harry and Seven at the crash site. Before any nightmarish thoughts could formulate, Kareesh interrupted them. "Go left, I think I'm reading a ventilation system not far from here, there could be a way into the system and so…"

"…a way out," Tom finished. He reached the end of the wall and peered around the corner. Unknown to him, Kareesh used Tom's diverted attention to turn the scanner on him. He saw the readings and frowned. "It's clear, let's go," said the subject of the medical scans, as he looked over his shoulder to Kareesh, before turning left to find the ventilation shaft. Kareesh quashed his concern; there was nothing he could do to help at the moment. Turning the corner he found the pink-fleshed being holding onto the sides of a wall panel for support, his head bowed in an expression of pain. He seemed to sense Kareesh watching and the expression vanished from view, the pain swallowed down deep inside. Their gazes met and when Paris spoke, he couldn't quite disguise his hurt. "Give me a hand with this."

Together they were able to prise open the panel. As they had hoped the ventilation shaft had adequate crawlspace for humanoids to use to perform tasks such as maintenance or repairs. Kareesh had pulled himself into the access shaft when a guard walked past and happened upon Tom attempting to climb in after his companion.

"Hold it right there!" Shouted the surprised guard as he pulled out his weapon.

Tom didn't allow the guard time to use it as he fired his own weapon, hitting him square in the chest and knocking him to the ground. Tom didn't wait to see how the guard fared. "Go, go, go!" He shouted to Kareesh as he dived in after him.

After a few moments of desperate scrambling through the ventilation crawlspace Kareesh believed that he had discovered the source of the fresh air that was filtered in from the outside. That was their possible way out and he was leading them to it. Then from below came the muffled but unmistakeable sounds of alarms. One of the unconscious guards must have been discovered or awoken and alerted the base. They quickened their pace. Shouts, the sounds of running feet and the base coming to life had slowly receded as they neared the outer edges of the base.

Tom was so focused in his task of dragging himself along, still gripping the gun that he didn't notice Kareesh stop until he bumped into him. "Sorry," said Paris breathing hard.

"We're here," said Kareesh. Tom backed away from him as Kareesh tried to reposition himself. Tom couldn't see anything in the darkness apart from the shifting shapes of light as Kareesh moved about in front of him. The alien then braced himself before kicking at the grid that blocked their way out and their freedom. With each kick denting and warping the grate, more light flooded in. Using both legs to kick, the panel screeched as it ripped from its fixings to the wall. It clanged down the outside wall when it came free before hitting the ground. Kareesh followed a moment after, catching the gun thrown to him by Paris. Facing head first Tom had some difficulty but managed to make the jump down safely. Kareesh helped him up from his landing and pushed him towards the base's perimeter wall.

Racing to the wall as fast as their legs could take them, they feared being caught out in the open. Kareesh made it there first and crouched, leaning against the wall. He looked to Tom as he arrived and pointed upwards. Tom nodded in understanding and used Kareesh's body as a ladder to get to the top of the wall. After he pulled himself up the rest of the way and sat straddled along the top, he looked down to Kareesh. He noticed approaching guards from the corner of his eye, they were an easy target.

"Hurry!" He shouted as he stretched his hand down to catch his fellow fugitive. Shots rang out along the wall, missing them but causing Kareesh top duck as he backed up ready to run up the wall and grab Tom's outstretched hand. The guards continued their steady approach until Kareesh took out the gun and fired a few wild shots. When they dived for cover, he saw his chance and ran for it.

Getting one foot on the wall he used the leverage to increase his height as he leapt up towards Tom. Tom's hand searched for his. Shots scarred the wall spraying them in debris. Tom made contact with Kareesh and pulled, helping him to climb up. Suddenly Kareesh jerked and cried out but Tom refused to relinquish his grip. Grabbing his clothes he continued to pull him up, then gripped his thigh and side to steady him as he reached the top and swung over and down to the other side. Paris's hand came away slick with blood. A shot whizzed past and he lay flat on the wall, covering his head. Then in one quick move he swung his leg over, sitting on the top of the wall ready to jump down. A shot hit nearby. He felt a force of some kind hit his side and knocked him forward. He fell to the ground, joining his friend.

To be continued…


End file.
